Chuck the College Years
by Wepdiggy
Summary: The events of the Intersect project unfold five years early, while Chuck, Sarah, Bryce, and Jill are still in college. The people are not yet who they will become, but some things are meant to be. Please read and review.
1. Conversations

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, nor am I getting any money from writing this. And considering that I spend more time writing than looking for a new job, it's almost like I'm costing myself money by writing, so I like negative own Chuck._**

_**A/N: **Alright kiddos. Uncle Wepdiggy has decided to go ahead and publish another story. I've had this chapter in the can for a couple of weeks now, and the second chapter is almost wrapped up as well. I'll try to get an update per week on this one, to keep from over stressing myself with the updates. This story is an answer to a request in the challenge and request thread on the TWoP Kicked Us Out forum on this site. Basically, the request was pretty open ended, but asked for a Chuck in college fic. Well, I went alternate universe before Bryce gets Chuck kicked out. Chuck and Jill are still together at this point, but they are certainly on the rocks, as Jill's Fulcrum requirements are getting in the way. And in this universe, Chuck and Sarah meet way before the pilot. One thing you're going to think as you read through this first chapter is that everyone seems out of character. This may sound like a cop out, but that is intentional. Remember, this is happening five years before the pilot, and the spies, the scientist, and Chuck haven't been changed by their circumstances as of yet. I'm writing the characters as I think they would have been at age 22 or 23. So I hope you enjoy this line of storytelling, and I look forward to you feedback on it. A big thank you to **Yokaputo and sm93starbuck** for reading through this and offering me some tips along the way, and especially to Coffee for pulling double duty and giving me a beta on it. You gals are terrific. Okay, now, without further ado, I present to you **Chuck The College Years chapter 1: Conversations.

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**Cast in order of apearance**

Chuck Bartowski - Zachary Levi  
Bryce Larkin - Matthew Bomer  
Jill Roberts - Jordana Brewster  
Sarah Walker -Yvonne Strahovski  
Langston Graham - Tony Todd

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**Chapter 1: Conversations**

**(conversations occur in reverse chronological order)**

**Bryce and Chuck**

"I still don't know how you've had someone back home and I've never heard about her. How long have you two been seeing one another, you dog?" Chuck says teasingly.

"Oh, you know. Off and on for a few years now. She goes to school back east, so when I go home we get to see one another. But things really started to heat up over the summer." It's the cover answer he'd been told to give, but it _was_ true in many ways. While most of his classmates had been getting pointless jobs, or vacationing in some resort town, Bryce had spent his summer -his first after being recruited into the agency- becoming acclimated to becoming a field operations officer.

Technically, he was a summer intern with National Clandestine Services, but it didn't change what he'd actually been doing. He'd been paired with a Harvard girl who called herself Sarah Walker. He wasn't positive, but he was fairly certain that she was using a pseudonym. He certainly wasn't going to ask, however. She was generally pretty easy to get along with, if a little intense. It was when her past was called into question that she became withdrawn and dangerously defensive.

The program director had made it clear that she was one of the most promising young talents that the agency had to offer. Perhaps feeding into Bryce's ego, the man had also mentioned that they wouldn't have been paired together had there not been a similar opinion of Bryce within agency circles. That little comment had been all it had taken to really get Bryce excited about their partnership.

"But, Chuck? She's kind of shy, so don't overwhelm her with that big personality of yours, huh?" The weekend could be a lot of fun. It was an assignment, but that didn't mean they couldn't have a good time. And despite the fact that it would serve more of a purpose if Sarah was made to feel a little uncomfortable, it's just Bryce's nature to try to protect those around him.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem, buddy. It might be for the best if I avoided any extended conversations with this girl anyway. You know Jill's jealous streak. And her distaste for all things blonde," the taller man chuckles. It isn't his normal jovial laugh, however. It's somewhere between a laugh and a sigh.

Bryce knows that tainted laugh. That is the one that his best friend in the world unleashes when something is weighing heavily on his mind. He's heard it a lot more this semester, and it's almost always because of Chuck's girlfriend.

"You and Jill still going through a rough patch?" Bryce asks. He uses words that he thinks will soften the blow some. They are the words Chuck always uses to describe his squabbles with the bio-chemistry major. If Bryce was being honest, those 'rough patches' should be deal breakers. Jill continually treats his buddy like crap, and Chuck just takes it. It's not something that Bryce understands, and it's certainly not something that Chuck deserves, in his opinion.

"I think she's just worried, what with this being our senior year and all," Chuck answers unconvincingly. "It's a lot of pressure, after all." He's not sure if that last part was more for Bryce's benefit or his own. He loves Jill, but since spring break she has grown more and more distant. That is really why this weekend sounded so appealing to Chuck. Maybe getting away from everything will finally bring some peace and understanding back to their relationship.

The roommates are left at a bit of a loss for what to say. Chuck doesn't want to talk anymore about the troubles he is having with Jill, and Bryce certainly isn't going to volunteer anything else about Sarah. The less that is said, the less the opportunity for being found out. That was one of the most important things drilled into the heads of the recruits during training for covert ops.

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**Chuck & Jill**

"Come on, Jill, it will be fun," Chuck says.

"Chuck, whenever we do stuff with Bryce, it ends up being you and Bryce and me tagging along. Now Bryce will have someone with him that he will feel like he can pawn off on me so you two can do your bromance thing. Now _I'm_ stuck with someone I don't know, and probably won't like. How is that fair?" she asks exasperatingly.

"It's not like that at all and you know it. Bryce is just as much your friend as he is mine. In fact, I think he knew _you_ before he knew me, and you certainly knew him before we met. Besides, he really seems to like this Sarah, and I'm sure you two will get along fine," he finishes.

"Yeah, I'm _sure_ I'll like her," Jill says sarcastically. "Any girl that will fall for Bryce Larkin is probably a real winner." Jill sighs before looking Chuck in the eyes. "Chuck, let me spell it out for you. Bryce Larkin is a player. Any girl that is with him is undoubtedly some rail thin, airhead blonde, with huge tits."

"Okay, first of all, you're kind of rail thin, Jill. I'm not complaining, but facts are facts." He starts to turn away, but stops, facing back to Jill. "And for the record, the girl goes to Harvard. Give her a little credit, will you?"

"Okay, fine. She's a rail thin, airhead blonde, with huge tits and a big brain. Better? And you know what? It seems like you're hot for this girl yourself, Chuck. How can you already be infatuated with a girl you've never even met? That's pretty pathetic, and it's even more pathetic that you want to drag me along to watch you drool over her all day in Mexico and then screw me at night pretending I'm her."

"You're being ridiculous. I just think we'll have fun. We haven't done anything together in a long time, Jill. I miss you. I miss us spending time together," he says sadly.

Jill sighs, seeing that there is no way she is going to get out of going on this trip without hurting Chuck even more than she already has. It's not even that she wants to hurt him. This group her Uncle Bernie got her into has just been so demanding.

"Alright, fine Chuck. I'll go. We'll go, but I have to make a call first. I was planning on doing something with my family that weekend," she lies. The truth is that she has to clear this trip with her Fulcrum advisor. Chuck is clean, she knows that. The problem is Bryce and his little girlfriend. She'll have to get their names run before they let her out with them. Not that Jill thinks Bryce has any kind of government affiliation, but it's better to be safe than sorry. She'd be in a world of shit if it came back that she was hanging out with some kind of agent over a weekend in Mexico.

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**Bryce & Sarah**

Bryce is glad that Chuck was out of the room, as it would have been difficult to explain the "second phone". The ringing is coming from his agency issue secure cell phone. It was given to him with the instructions that it was not to be used for personal calls, and it was only there for such instances when his attention was required by the agency. He feels a little nervous as he reaches to answer the call. This is the first time he'd received such a call.

"Larkin, secure," he answers, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Walker, secure," says his partner from the other line.

"Sarah? What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"No, Bryce," she says, laughing a little at his worry. "We have a mission," she explains.

"A mission?" Bryce had been led to believe that he wouldn't get any more work until after graduation. Not that he's complaining, it's just a bit surprising.

"Relax, it's nothing big. Our superiors just think that we need work blending in with normal civilians," she lies.

"Huh, so what are we supposed to do?" he asks.

"Well, you guys are on Fall Break next weekend, right?" She already knows the answer, but asking him makes it look like this isn't all planned out too much in advance without his notice. She's been given explicit orders to not let Bryce find out about the true nature of this mission. His psyche profile says that he would likely do something to keep his friend far away from agency grasps if he felt his well being was in danger. That is a risk that cannot be taken.

"Yeah, we are. Why, what's going on next weekend?"

"The CIA has gotten us a house in Cabo," she says.

This excites Bryce. He'd been shocked at just how attractive his partner was when he had first met her. Not that he thought she'd be ugly or anything, but she had turned out to be stunningly beautiful. And he is pretty sure that there is something between them. Maybe a weekend in a beach house is just the thing he needs to close the deal.

"That sounds like a lot of fun, really. That wasn't what I was expecting when you said 'mission'."

"Well, I hope that it will be. But you have more to do," she tells him. "We have classes on Monday, but of course it's not a big deal for me to get out of it for agency business. But what it means is my roommates won't be able to come with me, unfortunately. They do, however, want you to talk your roommate into coming on the trip with us. We need practice maintaining our cover in front of every kind of audience imaginable."

"Chuck? I don't know, Sarah. I don't think he'd really want to come. At least not without his girlfriend," he finishes.

_Dammit, then we have to invite the girlfriend. On one hand it makes the cover much more believable. Two friends getting a house and bringing their girlfriends. On the other hand, if Bartowski's woman is there, it's going to be hard to get him alone and talk, or more accurately, fuck him into joining the agency. Oh well, I guess I there's no other choice in this case. _

"That's fine. It actually works out great, in fact. The more people we're around, the harder we'll have to work to maintain our cover. What's this girl's name?" Sarah asks, feigning interest.

_This might be the best vacation ever. Chuck and Jill can make up, and them acting all couple like will mean that Sarah and I will have to be touchy feely, and something is sure to happen. _

"Her name's Jill," Bryce answers, trying to hide his excitement.

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**Sarah & Graham**

Sarah waits patiently in the conference room within the Widener Library. She's been here so many times before, but never has she actually been excited about being here, until now. Of course, it's not every day the director of the Central Intelligence Agency requests a private audience with someone. But then again, she's not just anyone. She is Sarah Walker, and she was recruited in the agency on the word of Langston Graham before he became the director.

She looks down at her watch, and at the exact moment that the second hand reaches the twelve o'clock position at exactly the time specified for the meeting, several large men in dark suits invade the room.

Sarah is immediately on her guard. She's not positive what she could do to fend off a room full of g-men, but she knows she will go down swinging if that is what is required of her. Watching the men move about, she relaxes, as it becomes apparent that they're only sweeping the room for surveillance and mean her no harm.

When one of the men announces the room clear, another group of five enters. Four of the new entries are nondescript bodyguard types like the men already in the room. The man in the middle of the collected however is very familiar to the blonde. It's been a long time since she's seen Langston Graham, but he doesn't look any different than she remembers. She can't really say the same for herself. Agency training had served to wipe away all traces of the geeky, awkward girl that was discovered in San Diego five years ago.

He takes a seat at the chair opposite her, and motions for his guards to leave them in privacy. The other men file out of the room one by one, and she is now left face-to-face with her boss for the first time since he took that title in her life. She tries to school her face to hide the nervous energy she feels in his presence, but she's sure he recognizes the signs anyway. He has to be a fairly perceptive man to have reached the position he currently holds.

"Agent Walker," he addresses her. His voice is even deeper, and more imposing than she remembered. "I have a mission for you," he continues, producing a folder from his suit jacket.

"A mission sir?" she asks. She'd done some low level work over the summer with her new partner, Bryce, but she thought that she'd have to wait until after graduation to really be given anything else to do.

"This is highly classified. Top secret," he clarifies. "Project Omaha is a program that dates back many years. In short, we have technology that could possibly implant subliminal images into the subconscious of an operative allowing them to recall intelligence that they never actually knew they'd seen. Basically, we would be creating a human intelligence computer."

"You want me for this operation, Director?" she asks nervously. She owes him and the agency so much for changing her life, giving her a purpose, and handing her an education at the finest school in the country, but being turned into a human computer seems a bit beyond the reach of what she is willing to do.

"Yes and no Agent Walker. I want you to be a part of this project, but I don't want you to house the information." He watches the girl heave a concealed sigh of relief. "What I want you to do is to recruit the man that I _do_ want to house this information." _And hopefully draw his father out of hiding so we can continue to advance this technology, _he adds silently. _Of course, she doesn't have to know that part. _

He offers her the folder from before and she takes it in her grasp. Opening it up, she sees a picture of a man, about her age, curly hair, brown eyes. He certainly doesn't look like a spy. Of course, she reasons, she probably didn't look like much of a spy either before her training.

"Charles Irving Bartowski," Graham exclaims.

"Bartowski –why does that name sound familiar?" Sarah wonders aloud.

"Because he is roommates with your partner, Bryce Larkin," explains the director. "And as it turns out, your partner's friend is the ideal candidate for this project." The large man then pauses, looking down at his hands. "I can't stress to you enough how important Project Omaha is, Sarah. We've not had a program that meant this much to national security in years –maybe ever. Your mission is to bring Bartowski into the fold. You are to get him to join the agency willingly."

"How will I do that, sir?" she asks, already pretty sure that she knows the answer.

"By any means necessary, Agent Walker."

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**_A/N: Alright, there you have it. A bunch of our favorite characters when they were much younger. I hope you liked it. This project excites me because I get to use more canon than I have seen in most alternate universe stories, but tell a completely different story beginning before the pilot. Hopefully you'll stick with me, and enjoy the ride. I look forward to any feedback you may have. I'm kind of writing this one as it comes to me, so your input will certainly influence what I decide to do with the story. Anyway, I look forward to hearing from you, and until next time, you guys are awesome. Peace. _**


	2. Road Trip

_**Disclaimer: **__Still don't own Chuck. I don't even own the correct ingredients to make a Chuck…the sandwich, not the nerd._

_**A/N: **__Wow, you guys are really great. So much positive feedback for chapter one, I couldn't wait to get chapter two done and out. I only hope I don't let you down after the opening of this piece. Chapter two, as you'll see is done all in first person narrative. We'll get some insight from the characters as to their current thoughts, and motivations. Hopefully this will help as the action starts to pick up. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how this one turned out. A big thank you to __**Yokaputo**__ and __**sm93starbuck**__ for their work in helping me with this chapter, and to __**Verkisto **__for the help with the Esperanto section of this chapter. All three of you ladies are just fantastic. I want keep you here any longer, and now I present to you __**Chuck: the College Years chapter 2: Road Trip**__.

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**Cast in order of appearance**

Chuck Bartowski – Zachary Levi  
Sarah Walker – Yvonne Strahovski  
Jill Roberts – Jordana Brewster  
Bryce Larkin – Matthew Bomer

**Chapter 2: Road Trip

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**Chuck's Point of View**

So this has been an enlightening trip so far. The first thing I learned was that my girlfriend was a psychic. Okay, she overestimated the size of Sarah's breasts, but other than that, she was dead on in her estimations of what Sarah would look like. Also, I'm pretty sure Jill's seeing someone else. It would explain her behavior lately, and really it's the only excuse I can think of for her having to "take this call" at every place we stop along the way. Well, I guess she could be a spy or something. I laugh a little as that thought crosses my mind. Jill just ignores me, as always.

Sarah turns around from the passenger seat to look at me as I laugh, however. It's almost like she can hear my thoughts, because she smiles and looks genuinely amused by something. That's another thing that Jill had wrong about Sarah in her early assessment of what the other woman would be like. Sarah isn't an airhead at all. She seems very smart, and perceptive, and warm. She's a little reserved, yes, but that's fine. It only makes the things she does say seem so much more important. And now that she's smiling at me, even though it only last for a couple of seconds, I now am quite positive that she might have the most beautiful smile in the world.

That's something I used to say about Jill. I have always loved seeing Jill smile, but lately it seems as if she never does. When she does smile at me, it seems like it's forced. I haven't seen a genuine "Jill smile" in months. She is getting better at the fake smiles however, so I have to give her that. Maybe she is a spy after all. I know it's ridiculous, but it would almost make me feel better if that was true.

Bryce is so lucky. When Sarah looks at him, I see how much she admires him. Jill used to look at me like that. And Sarah just seems like such a great girl. Not that Bryce doesn't deserve that, he does. In fact I can't think of anyone that deserves to have a great girlfriend more than Bryce. I never would have made it through school without him. Oh, sure, I'd have done fine academically, but he was my hero socially. And he introduced me to Jill. Even though things aren't great between us right now, I know that was still the best thing to ever happen to me. Guys like me just don't get girls like Jill. Or girls like Sarah for that matter.

"What's got you smiling back there?" Bryce asks me from the driver's seat. I guess Sarah's not the only one paying more attention to me than Jill. Unless he thinks Sarah's attention is me trying to move in on her. Oh God. I'd never do that!

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about something funny I heard," I lie. I don't usually lie so easily, but even to someone as honest as I am, lying seems so much easier than the truth right now. "So, this should be fun, right? I don't think I've spent a weekend in a beach house since I was a kid. Well, at least since mom and dad took off," I say trying to change the subject. I hadn't planned on turning to such a morbid and depressing topic, however.

Finally, Jill decides to join the conversation. "Way to bum everyone out, Chuck. Look, we're all really sorry your home life is so shitty, but I thought we were supposed to be having fun this weekend?" she asks. It's funny, but even though she's talking about fun, her voice sounds as if she's planning for anything _but_ fun.

"I haven't stayed a weekend at the beach in forever, either," Sarah says, coming to my rescue from my suddenly ill tempered girlfriend. "I think the last time was when I was nine. That was the time my sister and I accidentally used baby oil instead of suntan lotion. We like to joke that we looked like two blond little lobsters." Jill doesn't seem to be amused. No matter. Bryce and I thought it was funny, and we laugh at Sarah's adorable little story. Bryce's laugh seems to be more forced, however. I see him give Sarah a concerned look. She looks back at him, and whatever their unspoken communication was about, it seems to have relaxed my friend.

The other thing that I have learned, beyond a shadow of a doubt on this trip, is that I have failed my roommate immensely as a friend. I'm not talking about this little crush that I seem to have developed on his girlfriend, either. I really don't even feel guilt for that. I mean honestly, any straight male would be attracted to her. And the fact that she has actually been nice to me, unlike certain brunettes to whose wagons I have hitched my future, certainly hasn't helped me ignore that attraction. But I would never act on it.

No, my failure of Bryce is only as it relates to his taste in music. It's not a big deal, I know, but music is supposed to be 'my thing'. How can I have let anyone that I consider a friend listen to this crap? Honestly, Missy Elliot Bryce? No, not one Dandy Warhols, or Spoon song on this mix. Oh, but, it's nice to know that our Lil' John quota has been met.

"So what's next on this CD, Bryce? You have some Creed lined up?" I ask, not being able to stand the constant stream of crap music any longer. Judging by my friend's silence, I surmise that my sarcasm has actually hit on the truth. "Oh my God, man. Listen, I'm sorry if I've wronged you somehow in the past, but please don't take out your frustrations on everyone. Look at poor Sarah up there. She looks like she's about to go into bad music shock. You're going to have to pull off to the shoulder and administer CPR in a minute."

I think I hear Jill mutter something about how she thinks that I would like to be the one to do the mouth to mouth, but I ignore it. I know I was a little bit brutal, but Bryce has always taken my ribbing well, and this time is no exception. I will freely admit, I never saw the verbal barb he replied with coming. It was more stinging than his usual comebacks, even though I know he didn't mean to hurt me.

"Well, some of us have relationships in which our girlfriends actually know we're alive, and don't have all day to listen to college radio, Chuck." He says it in a teasing tone, but it still hurt. The fact that Jill didn't rush to defend me hurts even worse, but I see she is too distracted with her phone once again to actually participate in the conversation.

I relax back into my seat, feeling thoroughly defeated. Sarah turns to look at me, and gives me a sympathetic smile. Somehow, coming from her, it actually makes me feel better. It's weird, I know, but even though I've known her less than a day, it seems like there is some kind of weird connection between us. I try to shake that feeling, as it can only lead to bad things, and worse thoughts. I mean, I know that no girl alive would choose me over Bryce, but he would certainly feel betrayed if he knew what was going through my mind. And if there is one thing I know about myself, it's that I never betray my friends.

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**Bryce's POV**

Driving all the way to Cabo seemed like such a good idea when I suggested it. I mean it was the only part of the mission that I got to plan, and I'm starting to think that maybe there was a reason I wasn't involved in any of the other planning. Thirty hours on the road sounds a lot better in theory than it does in practice.

I suppose once I get out into the field, things will be a lot tougher than this a lot of the time. Okay, I found the positive side to that story. Now if I could just get Chuck out of his funk. It's not like him to be the one that needs cheering up. This is a role that I'm not used to, but I will try my damndest to succeed.

I've only noticed him smile once during the drive, and that was followed by a bit of a laugh. I suppose he found some way to amuse himself. It's not surprising, as he is far and away the funniest person in the car. Sure would be nice if he would share with the rest of us.

So far, he's even resisted my baiting with the popular music CD I'd put together. I thought this would be the perfect thing to get Chuck acting like Chuck. And finally, he takes my bait, and we're bantering. And of course, I step over the line by mentioning the tension between him and Jill. Why do I always do that? I have people's best interest in mind. I really do. But I just go too far, too often.

Then I see Sarah turn to look at him with consolation. She's really good at that. She's playing her role quite well. Maybe she's being a bit too sweet on Chuck, however. It's understandable, really. Seduction training teaches us to act certain ways toward the opposite sex. I'll have to talk to her later and tell her to tone it down some. I want Chuck and Jill to work things out. I don't need Chuck pining over my partner and ignoring Jill altogether. _Although_ maybe that would finally wake up my other friend and make her appreciate what she has in Chuck. I'll have to think on that more.

Jill is the real anomaly of the group. Sarah is distant, but she's an agent, and she's supposed to be distant. Chuck is outgoing, and wears his heart on his sleeve, but that's who Chuck is. But Jill has changed so much from the girl she was when I first met her. Hell, she's changed a lot from the girl I knew just a year ago. Working in the covert world means that I have to keep secrets from everyone, for their protection. But compared to this new Jill, I'm the most forthcoming person you'll ever meet. Maybe at some point while we're in Cabo I can have a nice long sit down with her. I don't think she means to hurt Chuck like she does, but I need to find out what the deal is. I know Chuck wouldn't approve. He wouldn't want me to rock the boat. But Chuck is just like that. He'll never look out for himself. That's why it's up to me, as a friend, to look out for him.

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**Sarah's POV**

I'm relieved that it's finally my turn to drive. We covered respectable ground with Bryce behind the wheel, but Chuck's turn came second, and all of a sudden it felt like a grandma was driving us around. I did manage to grab a bit of rest while he was in control, but we lost a lot of time. Certainly that time is being made up now, however, as I am the polar opposite of him as a driver.

I'm also relieved to be driving as sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle has always been a mode of release for me. It allows me to clear my head, and in this case, start to put my plan into place for the mission. The need to be sociable has dissipated as Chuck and Jill are both sleeping in the backseat, so now all of my energy is focused on the plan.

I definitely misread the situation in advance. I thought Jill would be my biggest obstacle in getting Chuck under my control. Turns out, she might be my biggest ally. I've never seen someone act so cold and distant towards someone they profess to be in a relationship with. If this trip were being filmed and recruits were asked to pick out which couple only had a cover relationship, I'm almost positive they'd all get it wrong.

What's strange is that I don't feel as pleased as I think I should about this development. It should be a tremendous relief that Jill is making my job so easy. All I have to be at this point is a sympathetic ear. I just need a couple of hours alone with Chuck to let him voice his frustrations, say some comforting words, place the blame at the feet of his wayward partner, maybe a hug, an 'accidental' brushing of skin, and then let nature take its course.

So it's all pretty basic at this point. And it's not even that I don't think I could have him eating out of my hand even if he had the perfect girlfriend. It's just that I feel- guilty for some reason. I _never_ feel guilty. I grew up pulling cons with my dad. Now I get to pull legal cons for Uncle Sam. I should feel very comfortable doing just that. But Chuck is just different somehow. He's so innocent. He's so honest. I really can't figure out what Graham sees in him. He'll never survive in this business.

But it's not my job to question orders; it's my job to follow them. I have a job to do. I knew going in that sometimes I'd be made to do things that weren't very tasteful. I knew that I'd have to lie, kill, steal, and screw my way to the top. I always imagined the men I'd have to give myself to would be the scum of the earth. That definitely isn't the case in this particular instance. I suppose I could be naïve to the situation, but Chuck Bartowski seems to be a real rarity: a decent human being.

What is it dad always said, though? _"Everyone has something to hide, sweetheart."_ I just have to keep that in mind throughout this weekend. As good as he may appear to be on the surface, there has to be some underlying reason that Graham would want him. There have to be skeletons in his closet. And I'll find every one of them. Then if he tries to back away from the Agency, I'll have blackmail on my side.

Not that I think he'll try to turn down my offer. Not after I rock his world a few times. The poor guy looks like he hasn't been laid in some time. He certainly hasn't been laid well. Not from the 'Ice Queen' back there. I just hope he remembers where everything goes. Well, even if he doesn't, I'm sure he'll be open to a refresher course.

So I have Jill and Chuck in the bag. Now the only person I have to worry about is the one person I should never have to worry about on a mission: my partner. I respect that we have a cover to maintain and all, but right now, the other two passengers are asleep, and there is no reason for him to keep touching me. I mean, I _do_ find him charming, and he's certainly very good looking, but this is not about finding romance for me. This is about the job, and I really need him to keep his head in the game. If I can't get away from him when we get to the house, how am I ever going to get his friend under me in bed?

But maybe I have a plan for that too. I can see how much the strife between Chuck and this Jill bothers Bryce. I should use that to my advantage. I've studied the files on Chuck and his girlfriend at length. I know that neither of them has taken extensive hours of foreign language, and what they have taken is only Spanish. Bryce on the other hand is fluent in at least five languages that I know of. I need to make sure that what I'm about to say isn't understood by those in the back of the SUV should they wake up, so I'll go with Esperanto, a language both Bryce and I speak fluently.

"Brajco, eble mi scius metodon helpi vian amikon," I say.

"Kion vi faras?! Vi rivelos nin!"

"Ne freneziĝu. Ili scias, ke vi parolas Esperanton. Ni nur aldonu la fakton al nian falsidentecon, ke tiu lingvo estas afero kiu unue kunigis nin. Klarigu, ke mi estas fremdlingva diplominto aŭ iu simila. Ne gravas kio. Alie, mi certas, ke vi ne volus, ke ili aŭdu la planon.

Bryce sighs. "Nu, bone, diru al mi tiun planon."

I look at him through hooded eyes. His attitude isn't helping anyone.

"Vi devas seksalogi je Ĝil," I say.

"Kio?! Kiel tio helpus iun ajn?"

"Vi ne vere devas kunseksumadi. Nur alproksimiĝu. Alproksimiĝu sufiĉe, ke ŝi hontos pri la afero kaj volos pardonpeti je Karleto. Ŝi do konfesos, kaj ili ambaŭ agnoskos, kiom ili bezonas unu la alian."

"Nu, kial Karleto ne disiĝu de ŝi post mi preskaŭ seksumadu kun sia koramikino?"

"Ĉar la konscienco de Karleto ankaŭ ne estos trankvila," I say, giving him an evil smile.

"Momenton, ĉu vi seksalogos Karleton?"

"Mi ne diris, ke vi ŝatus la planon; mi nur diris, ke ĝi sukcesos. Fidu min."

* * *

**Jill's POV**

Somehow, I got the lucky draw of driving the last leg of the road trip. I would have much preferred to be in control of the car while the other three were asleep instead of awake and talking as they are at this moment, because I know that I only seem even more distant and closed off right now. In truth, I'm beyond pissed off. I'm a little pissed off that I'm being looked at by my passengers like I'm a leper because I haven't participated in their ridiculous conversations. I'm also upset because the two assholes in the backseat thought I was too stupid to understand Esperanto. Which leads to the real reason I'm so angry: a CIA agent, who is trained in seduction, plans to fuck my boyfriend.

She can say whatever she wants to Bryce, she doesn't plan on pulling back when she's with him. This isn't some scheme to bring Chuck and me closer. The Agency wants something from _my_ Chuck, and that blonde whore is going to use her body to get it. And the fact that Bryce is being kept in the dark leads me to believe that whatever it is will not be beneficial to Chuck. They have to know that Bryce would do whatever he could to protect his friend.

I may hate Bryce on several levels at this point, but I can't deny that he'll always look out for Chuck. That's what I've been depending on for so long. I have been trying and trying for months to push him away. I want him to breakup with me. I need him to leave me. This is a dangerous business I've gotten involved with, and I can't put Chuck at risk by having him close to me. Someone might hurt him to get to me, and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him because of me. And when he wises up and finally says "it's over", I thought I could count on Bryce being there to help him get over me.

Then when I was told that Bryce was agency, I knew that I couldn't depend on that, but at least Chuck still had his sister, and Morgan to fall back on. They've been his rock for years, and they'd help him through whatever our breakup did to him.

But now, the CIA has some kind of interest in Chuck. And they apparently want it bad. They've sent this blonde jezebel to sex him up and get him to comply with whatever she demands. And after the way I've treated him since I became part of Fulcrum, I know that he'll fall right into her honey trap. In that way, anything that happens to him is my fault. The one bright spot in the heartache that has been my slow rejection of Chuck has been darkened. Now all of that sacrifice will have been for naught.

But maybe it's not too late. Maybe I can do something to salvage our relationship. Fulcrum may put Chuck in jeopardy, but he's obviously headed that way no matter what I do. At least if I keep him by my side, I can keep my eye on him. And when my superiors find out that the Agency wants him, they'll no doubt smile on me for keeping him on our side. I just have to figure out a way to win him back. I have to make him trust me again. I have to make this work. I have to call my advisor again and inform him of the changes in my situation.

"There's a gas station up ahead. I need to make a stop. Anyone else need anything?" I ask in the most cheerful voice I've used in weeks.

* * *

**This is the English translation of Bryce and Sarah's "hidden" conversation. It was translated using colloquial Esperanto so it's not a literal translation, because I wanted to portray the two spies as fluent speakers. Nonetheless, this is how the conversation would have gone had they been speaking English:**

"Bryce, I think I might know a way to help your friend out," I say.

"What are you doing?! You'll blow our cover!"

"Relax. They know you speak Esperanto. We'll just work it into our cover that language is what initially drew us together. Tell them I'm a foreign language major, I don't care. And besides, I don't think you want them to hear the plan."

Bryce sighs. "Fine, let me hear this plan."

I look at him through hooded eyes. His attitude isn't helping anyone. "You need to seduce Jill," I say.

"What?! How will that help anyone?"

"You don't need to sleep with her. Just get really close to her. Get close enough that she'll feel guilty about it and want to make it up to Chuck. She'll come clean, and they'll both realize how much they need one another."

"And why wouldn't Chuck break up with her after I almost sleep with his girlfriend?"

"Because Chuck's conscience won't be clean either," I say giving him an evil smile.

"Wait, you're going to seduce Chuck?"

"I didn't say you'd like this plan, I simply said that it will work. Trust me."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little chapter. I really hope it lived up to whatever expectations you had after chapter one. So the story was really set into motion with that last bit, huh? That's kind of where we're going, and hopefully, you'll stick along for the ride. And hopefully that ride will be a lot of fun, and interesting. I look forward to your feedback, and you guys are awesome. Peace. _


	3. Complications

_**Disclaimer: **__Still don't own Chuck, but I did manage to recruit four new fans today, so maybe they should give me a couple of points, huh?_

_**A/N: **__Okay, this is chapter three. So far, the reaction to this story has just been fantastic. I was a little worried that this cold Sarah, sympathetic Jill, and good guy Bryce would turn people off, but I should have known better. Chuck fans, and readers of Chuck fan fiction are so smart! I love you guys for that. A big thanks to __**sm93starbuck **__for reading this through a couple of times for me and giving feedback, and to __**Yokaputo **__for an awesome beta. I love you gals. Oh, and Yok has another chapter of her fic coming out soon, and it is fantastic. I really think you'll like it. If you haven't read chapter one of her piece Remembering yet, please go do that now. Well, not right now, right now, read my chapter 3, but after that go read her story. Okay, that's about all for now, and I hope you enjoy __**Chuck: the College Years chapter 3: Complications.

* * *

**_

**Cast in order of appearance**

Chuck Bartowski – Zachary Levi  
Bryce Larkin – Matthew Bomer  
Sarah Walker – Yvonne Strahovski  
Jill Roberts – Jordana Brewster

* * *

**Chapter 3: Complications**

**Act i. Sarah Plannin'**

The thirty hours on the road finally comes to an end, and both couples feel relieved to be free of the tension that had consumed the party within the confined space of the SUV.

When the vehicle comes to a stop, the boys immediately jump out and begin to unload the luggage. Left alone with one another, an awkward gaze passes between the two women, but no words are said. Sarah is sure she sees something in the eyes of Jill however. It is something that hadn't been there before. She wonders if the brunette has picked up on her flirting with Chuck, and deciding that was more than likely the reason for the change in Jill's demeanor, makes it a point to be more subtle with her play on the mark.

Sarah only hopes that whatever Jill has picked up on won't add more difficulty to the mission. It would be hard enough to do what needs to be done without Bryce's interference, and Chuck's apparent morality. The deep ceded loyalty the taller man seems to have for his horrible girlfriend befuddles the blonde. Trust issues she could deal with. Guilt she could get him past. But the fact that he is strangely committed to someone who seemed to be anything but is something her training had never covered.

She is still positive, however, that the right opportunity will present itself. Jill will make a mistake and upset Chuck to the point that he needs some comfort. That will be Sarah's chance to move in on him. Fortunately, she's planted a couple of the new GLG-20s in Chuck's luggage during the last stop, so when that opportunity arises, she will be waiting to pounce.

Jill and Sarah walk silently behind the men towards the house. As soon as all of the bags have been allocated to the correct rooms, Bryce and Chuck announce that they are headed down to the beach for a swim. They quickly change, and are out the door before any protest can be registered by either Jill or Sarah, leaving them alone yet again.

"I'm just going to unpack," Sarah says softly. Jill nods in reply and watches the other woman walk off to her room. With her back turned, Sarah is unable to see the combative stare that she's been fixed with.

Once inside her room, Sarah begins to strategize a way to get Bryce out of the house later. She immediately goes to the most logical reason for a man to do anything: sex. She searches through his bags until she finds exactly what she's set out to find.

"Ah-ha," she says quietly to herself, pulling the two boxes of condoms from her partner's bag in triumph. She'd expected to find maybe a twelve-pack at the most, and so she is a bit shocked to see that he's brought two boxes of thirty-six. "My God, Bryce. What did you think as going to be happening this weekend?"

She dumps the contents of the boxes into her oversized purse and disposes of the boxes in the garbage unit outside the house. _No need for Bryce to find any of this stuff. _

Once that is taken care of, all that remains for Sarah to do is to get Bryce all hot and bothered and ask him to go get protection. When he discovers that he's "left" them back home, he'll have to run out and pick up some more. That will leave Sarah plenty of time to set up her listening equipment and check in on the couple in the other room.

Looking at her watch, she realizes that it has been nearly an hour since the guys left. She assumes that they could be back at any time, and not wanting to waste time that she could use to set up, she begins the next phase of getting Bryce out of the house.

She quickly strips down and turns on the shower in their bathroom. Sarah is relieved that everything seems to be coming together so seamlessly. She enjoys the few moments of quiet contemplation she has as the hot water pours over her body, relaxing her completely.

When she hears the front door open, she turns off the water and quickly wraps a towel around herself. Purposefully leaving her skin as wet as possible, to add an extra sheen, she waits to hear Bryce enter the bedroom. When the she hears him start to make his entrance, she mentally takes a final check, and begins the next phase of her mission.

Stepping out of the bathroom clad only in a towel, beads of water standing on her radiant, milky white complexion, Sarah pretends not to notice his presence until she sees that he's noticed her and her current state of undress. She has to fight back a predatory smile at the look of admiration that has graced his countenance.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sarah says feigning embarrassment at running into Bryce wearing only a towel.

"No – no, it's alright. Wow, you look – I'm sorry, don't take this the wrong way, but you look great."

"Really?" she asks. He nods in reply, trying to look as cool as he can under these circumstances. "You don't look half bad yourself, Agent Larkin," she says huskily, eyeing his shirtless form.

Bryce was suddenly much more confident than before. "Yeah, so – what would a normal couple do right now? I mean, we do have a cover to maintain, don't we Agent Walker?" he asks, giving her his best come-hither stare.

"Well, I think they'd start like this," she said softly, pressing her lips to his, and pushing her body into him. The action quickly moved the spy couple to the bed, and Bryce was playing right into Sarah's hands.

After several minutes of kissing and light petting, Bryce's hands begin to wander beneath the towel that still wraps Sarah's otherwise naked body. _Time for the next step,_ she thinks

"Bryce," she says breathlessly, pulling away from him. "Do you have a condom?"

He doesn't say a word, instead bolting from the bed to his luggage. He begins shuffling through his bags, in search of what, at that moment, is the most important piece of rubber to ever exist in the history of his twenty-two years on earth.

"Dammit!" he mutters, loud enough for Sarah to hear.

"What is it?" she asks, barely able to keep the smile from her voice.

"I know I packed some. I just can't find them," he answers with frustration.

She sighs loudly, pretending to share his frustration. "Look, Bryce, it's not a big deal." She takes in his indignant stare before continuing. "Just run out and get some more. I promise, I'm not going anywhere," she ensures, arching her eyebrow and adding a seductive lilt to her voice for added affect.

"Alright," Bryce grumbles, slipping on a t-shirt and heading back out of the bedroom with an unfulfilled huff.

Once he's gone, Sarah slips on a robe, and rushes over to her bags to bring up the receiver for the bugs she has within the room of the _real_ couple. What she hears is precisely what she'd hoped for. _Soon, it will be time to make my move. You have no idea what you're in for, Chuck Bartowski.

* * *

_

**Act ii. Jill Came Tumbling After**

"_Proceed as planned."_

How do they expect her to proceed as planned? Her very heart is on the line, and they want her to sacrifice it for "the cause"? They want Jill to let that CIA bimbo have her way with _her_ Chuck? Whatever the blonde is trying to get from him, Jill has to allow. No matter how much it might hurt Chuck, she's supposed to stand aside and watch. Worse, she's expected to push Chuck into the waiting arms of another woman. More specifically, a woman that doesn't care about him, that can't care about anyone.

Jill knows all too well how agents operate. Poor Chuck won't stand a chance, and soon, they'll have stripped away his humanity. They'll have made him into everything that Chuck is not. They'll have killed the man that Jill loves, but she isn't allowed to do anything to stop it.

Part of her wants to go to Bryce. She wants to tell him what his partner plans on doing. She wants to admit her ties to an organization that opposes the current leadership of the United States Intelligence Community, and beg forgiveness if only they leave Chuck out of whatever their plans are. However, something is holding her back: fear.

She's terrified of what might happen to her if Bryce learns the truth. Uncovering an organization like Fulcrum would be a mighty trophy on the wall of a young operative like Bryce, and she knows that he wouldn't hesitate to turn her in as a traitor that he'd discovered if only to advance his career. Though protecting Chuck is almost worth that sacrifice. Almost.

But almost isn't good enough, and Jill knows her fear won't allow her to bring Bryce in on her plans. She has to try to do something, but she is at a loss for what exactly that 'something' is. She has started formulating a plan in her head to hold on to Chuck. To prevent those CIA bastards from getting their dirty, soulless hands on him.

The very thought of a rogue operation within a rogue operation is terrifying to the brunette. Although all members of Fulcrum receive some field training, she's still not an operative at the end of the day. She's a scientist, and her plans will have her butting heads with at least one, if not two trained CIA agents.

So when she kisses Chuck goodbye on his way out for the swim, it seems only half hearted. It seems as though she's just keeping up appearances, and Jill knows that Chuck knows. She can feel his disappointment as she slips further away. She can see the look of impending victory on Sarah's face. And Jill can do nothing to stop any of those things. _Because I'm a coward_.

During the hour that the men are gone, Jill sits silently alone in the dark bedroom that she and Chuck are to occupy for the weekend. She spends that time staring at her phone, willing her superiors to call her back and give her other instructions. She prays for a call that will allow her to keep Chuck away from Sarah Walker and the CIA. It's a prayer that she knows will never be answered.

"_Sarah Walker has been assigned to a very important project. This is a project that Fulcrum has taken a special interest in. If they've sent her to recruit your boyfriend, he is most likely intended for that same program. You are to allow the agent to do whatever she needs to do to bring this Mr. Bartowski into the fold. Do not get in the way, Jill. We can't have her suspicious of you. But once he's in, we have our in. You'll have guilt on your side. You'll be the jilted lover, and we'll take advantage of that. Your stock will surely rise within the organization, Jill."_

The words still feel like a knife in her gut, turning as she remembers them. Her months of anguish and sacrifice are all going to be gone. Her cowardice is going to serve up the man she loves as a sacrificial lamb to the heartless CIA agent, and in turn the ruthless organization to which Jill belongs.

So lost is Jill in her thoughts that she almost misses the sound of the guys returning from their swim. Her moment of truth is upon her as Chuck enters their bedroom.

"Jill?" he asks, confuse at seeing her sitting alone in the dark.

She doesn't answer him verbally, her mind still to confused to know what to say, but crossing the room, she wraps her arms around him in a firm embrace.

Chuck looks down at his girlfriend, who is expressing herself more physically than she had in a very long time. It's just a hug, but the raw emotion that he can feel pouring through her seems to take him aback.

Jill can sense his confusion. He seems to be asking so many questions with just his eyes. _Who is this woman and what has she done with Jill? Should I even care? Why now? Why is she doing this now? Will she even answer me if I ask? _Jill wishes that she could answer his unasked questions. She wishes she could really be honest with him, but her fear holds her back.

Seeming to decide that she probably won't say anything, Chuck takes a rare bold chance and leans down to kiss her, perhaps hoping that even if verbal queues won't be answered, that perhaps physical ones will. She doesn't immediately push him back, but she doesn't exactly reciprocate the kiss either. Something still seems to be in their way. Jill isn't going to turn him away anymore, but she can't completely accept him either. She's torn, and indecision is becoming her decision.

Chuck is confused by Jill's change in behavior, and infuriated by her unwillingness to let him in. Finally, he reaches his breaking point. "What's going on between us Jill? Please just be honest with me for once. I can't take this anymore. One minute it's like I don't exist to you, the next it's like – it's like we're still _us_. So which is it? Please?" he asks again pathetically.

"I don't know," _if I can tell you the truth_. "It's – it's complicated, Chuck." _And I don't want to hurt you. Please just trust me. Just be patient with me. Please don't believe anything that slut tells you, because she will tell you whatever she thinks will drive us further apart. _

"Then let me make it a lot less complicated," Chuck says as he stands to leave the room.

"Chuck, wait!" she calls after him with a pleading voice.

He turns around slightly, not quite meeting her gaze. "Yes, Jill?"

"Chuck, I'm sorry," _for everything I've put you through. I'm sorry I can't tell you everything. I'm sorry I can't protect you. I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you_.

"I'm sorry, too," he says as though his regret is bourn out of something completely different. He seems as though he is sorry for the finality of the situation, and the fact that it can't be repaired. "I need some time to think about everything – about us," he finishes as he leaves Jill alone to mourn the apparent loss of _them_.

"I love you, Chuck," she says softly as the door closes. Finally, she allows the tears that have been threatening her eyes throughout the entire conversation to spill. All appears lost, and she doesn't know what to do to fix it. Soon, Chuck will be under the spell of the blonde with nefarious intentions, and everything Jill cares about will be beyond her reach.

* * *

**Act iii. How to Make Friends and Influence Marks**

Sarah listens closely to the audio feed from the other room. It doesn't take a trained agent to figure out that whatever Jill is saying isn't what she means. At least, it's not the full scope of what she means. Sarah is relatively sure that Jill has some sense of the plan Sarah has but into motion, but even as such, doesn't seem to be very intent on stopping it from happening.

With Chuck's unyielding devotion to his relationship with Roberts, it wouldn't take much from Jill to really lock him down. If Jill would just give a little of herself, she would have Chuck back wrapped around her finger, but something seems to be holding her back. Sarah decides that it is just as well, as the mission would be accomplished with or without the help of the other woman. Jill's unintended assistance will just serve to help wrap things up even quicker.

Sarah hears Chuck plead with his girlfriend for something, anything to confirm that his feelings are reciprocated. He is, of course left with more of nothing. Jill apologizes, but even the apology is vague and complicated. A guy like Chuck won't respond to such complications, and Sarah knows it. So when Chuck offers his own apology and storms out of the room, Sarah knows that her mark is well prepared to be had.

Picking up her phone, Sarah dials her partner to let him know that the time to move in on the other couple is upon them.

"Larkin, secure."

"Walker, secure. Bryce, Chuck and Jill just had a huge fight. Chuck stormed out of the house, and I don't know where he's going. He doesn't need to be out by himself, so I'm going to follow."

"I'm sure Chuck will be fine, Sarah. He's not a child. There's no reason for you to follow him around like a babysitter."

_Dammit, Bryce. I have my reasons. If you'd stop being so difficult, this could all be over a lot quicker. Why won't you just take a hint? I'm just following orders! _"Bryce, I think this would be a good time to put my plan into place to help Chuck and Jill."

"What? Are you kidding? They have a big fight, and now you want to go play the seductress role? If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were trying to get Chuck between the sheets, Sarah."

_Dammit! Think fast, Walker. _

"He's not a cheater, Bryce. You know that. And I'm going to play it light. Remember, I just want to make him do enough to feel guilty. I'm trying to help people here, Bryce. So are you going to help _me_, or am I going at this alone?" She adds a little extra edge to her voice in hopes of swaying her partner.

Bryce huffs in defeat. "Fine, if that's what you want – if it's what you think will work, then we'll do it your way." He pauses. "You're not a very compromising partner, Walker."

"Afraid of a woman who knows what she wants?" she asks teasingly.

"Oh, I'm not afraid at all. Just don't forget you owe me from earlier."

"Believe me I didn't forget. If you hold up your end of the deal on this, we certainly will have something to continue. Nothing makes me hotter than a successful mission, Agent Larkin," comes her answer in the most provocative tone in her arsenal. _Of course, I plan on being plenty stated once my mission is complete, _she adds silently with a devious smile.

"Alright, I'll go look after Jill. Let me know if you have trouble finding Chuck."

"Gotcha. Walker out," she says, putting her phone away.

Finding Chuck isn't a problem at all. Of course, much of that has to do with the fact that Sarah has watched him like a hawk since he first left the house. He's found his way down to the beach, and for the past thirty minutes, he's sat silently, alone, staring out over the crashing waves.

Until this point, Sarah has given him his space. She figures that at any moment, he will turn away and start making his way back, but so far, that doesn't seem to be the case. Finally growing too impatient to wait further, she begins to make her way down to where he's seated.

"Hi," she greets him softly.

"Hey, Sarah," is his simple answer. He tries to offer her a smile, but Sarah can clearly see that it is forced. She prefers his real smile, she decides. She also makes it a point to give him a real smile. _That will indicate a completion of the mission._

"So I heard the fight you had with Jill."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I don't want our problems to ruin your weekend with Bryce. I mean, I know you guys don't get to see each other that much, and it would really suck of me to screw up the little bit of time you have together. I'll try to make sure we keep that between us. In fact, I'll try—"

"Shhh," she says, with a small laugh. "You're a talker, Chuck. That's good, because I'm not, and it would be hard to do what I'm here to do if we were both quiet," she finishes with a very genuine looking smile.

"What are you here to do?" Chuck asks.

"I'm here to be your friend. I figured you could use one right about now. I thought you might need someone to talk to. Someone that won't judge you, or interrupt. Someone that will just listen, and let you get some stuff off your chest. So what do you say, Chuck? Are we friends?"

"Yeah," he says, his voice growing much warmer than it was before. "I'd really like that, Sarah." He looks over to her, and smiles. A real, genuine smile. She takes in his brilliant, goofy grin, and his soulful brown eyes, and it almost takes her breath. He's so much more real than anything she's accustomed to. He's open, and honest, and pure. He's not a spy, and he's not a con man.

_But he is a mark, and you need to keep your head in the game, Sarah. You have a mission to accomplish, remember? You can't let him get to you. You'll never get the job done thinking like that._

She hesitates, unsure how to continue. Deciding that it is time to initiate some contact, she reaches out and takes her arm in her hands, hoping that she's not being too forward. He doesn't immediately reject the gesture, so she continues, lightly rubbing one hand along his forearm.

"Then talk to me, Chuck."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Okay, that's all for now. It's not quite as much of a cliffhanger as I'd originally intended, but it still leaves you wanting more, I hope. I'm really enjoying developing these characters, and so far, Jill and Sarah are the most interesting, and deep of the characters involved. That's why most of the action seems to be driven from their perspective. Chuck and Bryce are just a little too flat right now to focus on, but they'll develop more as the story continues, hopefully. Anyway, I look forward to your feedback, and you guys are awesome. Peace. _


	4. Conspiring in the name of

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Chuck, nor have I ever owned Chuck. I did get to write for a Chuck spinoff in a dream once, though. That was pretty awesome. It was about Sarah having to live a "normal" life, all the while pretending that she'd never been a spy. It was really funny, and a show I would have definitely watched. By the way, if anyone wants to write that fic, I will promise you a review of every chapter :)_

_**A/N: **__Thank you guys so much for all of the kind reviews. I hope this chapter isn't a letdown, as it is all Bryce and Jill, but it kind of sets up some action to come, so just bear with me if you will. Again, I appreciate the support, and I hope you'll leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thank you as always to __**Yokaputo **__and __**SM93Starbuck **__for their help in betaing and feedback during production. You ladies are the best, and I couldn't do it without you…no seriously, I couldn't. Alright, and now for __**Chuck: The College Years chapter 4: Conspiring in the Name Of…

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**_

Bryce is glad that this is only a training mission, because his failure to plan, and failure to execute those things that he has planned, continue to plague what seemed in advance to be a vacation of sorts. Had this been a _real_ mission, he would have already endangered his life, that of his partner, and that of the other members of his party. He vows silently to himself that this will be the last time that Bryce Larkin is caught unprepared.

Finally, he arrives at the destination that his latest foible has brought him to: the ATM. _Always have cash_. It's a good tip for anyone, but especially for spies that may have to pick up and leave at the drop of a hat.

Bryce steps to the machine and inserts his card. Entering his pin, 4279, he waits for the next prompt which he assumes will ask him what language he wishes the transaction to be carried out in. Instead of said prompt, he is greeted by a black screen.

The young man immediately assumes the worse, that the power going to the ATM has been cut somehow, and begins to frantically pound the machine in futile hopes of retrieving his card. His card is of course not returned to him, but the screen on the ATM no longer stays blank.

A bold, yellow font begins to scroll across the screen one letter at a time.

_B-r-y-c-e_

"What the hell," Bryce shouts; jumping back from the ATM as though he fears it may attack him.

_Bryce, I'm here to help.  
Stay calm._

"Wait, you can hear me? What am I supposed to do?" _It's just a machine, Bryce. Don't freak out.

* * *

_

"What am I supposed to do?" Jill asks aloud to the open expanse of the bedroom.

Crying herself to sleep had just led to horrible dreams of Chuck alone with that other woman. The vivid constructs of her mind's eye still tear at her every time she closes her eyes, so Jill is doing her best to keep them open. It's a challenge, to be sure, but it's well worth not having to experience any more of those traumatic mental images.

It's not easy. The drive down was grueling, and the emotional strain that has been placed on her only served to make her even more tired. Still, she needs to know. She has to see Chuck when he eventually comes back. She has to know what happened with the seductress. She has to…

_What? What do you have to do? If you were smart, you'd say "to hell" with your orders and tell Chuck the truth. You'd be honest, and tell him you love him, and beg him to forgive you._

_Forgive me? What if he's cheating on me right now? What if he is naked, and sweating, and rolling around with another woman this very second? Why would I need him to forgive me?_

_You're going to hold that against him? You know he might not have even done anything. You know how honest and forthright Chuck is. And even if he did sleep with that woman, was it not you who did everything you could to cause that to happen? _

_Why?_

_Because you love him._

_Because I love him_. With her admission, the inner struggle for Jill finally stops. She's now resolved to fix things with Chuck, no matter what Fulcrum told her to do. Whatever may have happened between him and the blonde, Jill will accept it, apologize, and move on. She only hopes it's not too late. She hopes _he_ can still love _her_.

* * *

Bryce is doing his best to process the information he's been given.

The ATM hacker had identified himself as Chuck's dad, who Bryce knows left Chuck and Ellie years ago. Bryce had been loathe to believe him at first, but the evidence he'd produced at the hastily arranged meeting – the baby pictures, the information about Chuck's childhood through his high school and college career, and especially the knowledge of Chuck's _Tron_ fixation had sealed the deal. He was certainly who he said he was.

He'd said that the CIA was coming after Chuck to use him in a very dangerous project, just to lure the father out of hiding. Bryce's partner is apparently in on the plot, and her real reason for being in Cabo this weekend is to lure Chuck into the agency.

On top of all of that, Jill Roberts is a part of some rogue organization that the CIA brass still isn't aware of, but that poses a serious threat to the Agency, and the country at large. It's really a lot to take in, and Bryce isn't even sure that he can trust what he's been told. In fact, he probably shouldn't believe a word of what was said, but for whatever reason, he does.

He's not even sure what his next course of action should be. Should he move to arrest Jill? Should he work to ensure Chuck's safety? Should he follow Sarah's original plan and get close to Jill to see what he could learn about this domestic terrorist cell? What would his superiors have him do? Should he even worry about that, seeing as he now had and objective that would directly conflicted with their apparent goals?

Bryce groans in frustration. He needs advice, and he has no one to turn to. The CIA is right out, as they would destroy any chance he had to rescue Chuck. Jill's out, for obvious reasons. Sarah is out, because she is firmly in the camp of the CIA that he's already ruled out. Not that Bryce trusts any of them at this moment to give him advice to begin with. The only person Bryce could really talk to about such an important decision is Chuck. Chuck would know what the right decision would be. He always does the right thing. But in this situation, the right thing for Bryce to do, and the right thing in Chuck's mind would stand in the way of one another.

If Chuck knew the full scope of what was going on, he would do everything he could to save Jill, and he would join the agency willingly, because it could potentially help others. He's so selfless like that, and it's something that Bryce really admires about his friend. This time, however, it is something that could get Chuck killed, and that's just not an option.

So no matter what decision Bryce makes, he knows that something will turn out bad. Either Chuck's life will be destroyed by the agency, or by this Fulcrum. Being helpless and confused is not a feeling Bryce likes having. In fact, it makes him angry that he's been put in this situation. An angry Bryce Larkin is not something that those who stand in his way want to see. In this case, it's Sarah Walker and Jill Roberts, and both of them have bad things in store for them, if Bryce has anything to say about it.

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Finally resolved to "take her medicine" and then work to fix all the problems that she's caused, Jill has finally been able to find enough peace to get some much needed rest. Her sleep, however, is interrupted by the feel of something hard and metallic pressed against her forehead. She knows instinctively that it's a gun, and her recognition is only furthered by the sound of the safety being flipped off.

She slowly opens her eyes, knowing that she's been made, and hoping that she can somehow talk her way out of this situation. If it's Bryce, she may have a chance. Jill knows that Bryce still cares enough about Chuck that she can use her knowledge of what the Agency has in store for the taller man as a trump card to win Bryce's attention, and hopefully, his loyalty to Jill's new cause: saving Chuck. If it's Sarah Walker, Jill knows she's screwed.

When her eyes adjust to the light, Jill is relieved to see that it's the male agent that has accosted her. All hope is not lost.

"What's Fulcrum, Jill?" Bryce asks with a hard edge to his voice.

"From your tone, I'd take it that you already know," she answers coldly, knowing she can't come right out and say what she really wants to say. Bryce will take it as her begging for her life, and not trying to help Chuck, regardless of what her true intentions are.

"I do," he says, pulling his gun away from her, but not dropping his aim. "So what were your intentions? Were you going to see what the Agency wanted with Chuck, and then move in, claiming a new prize for your new group of friends? Were you going to use Chuck to further your career?"

Jill doesn't have an answer immediately, and Bryce takes it as an affirmation to his accusations. "You had me fooled, Jill. I really thought you cared about him. He thought so too. You're very good at your job, Ms. Roberts. It's a shame it has to end here. You could have been a real asset to the CIA."

"No!" Jill shouts.

"No?" Bryce asks with a sardonic look on his face. "No I shouldn't shoot you? Or no, that wasn't your intention? Because, if it's the former, I fail to see-"

"No, that wasn't my intention!" Jill says loudly. "That's what Fulcrum wants me to do, but it's not what I want."

"And what do you want?"

"I want Chuck safe! I want him away from all of this. I want to keep that whore partner of yours from leading him into a career he has no business in. Chuck's too honest, too good for this shit, Bryce." Her face is pleading with Bryce to believe her; to help her.

"So what was your plan?" Bryce asks. He's still skeptical, but he knows that if Jill is willing to help that pulling Chuck away from the Agency could be easier.

"I was – I was…" Jill searches for something to tell him. Something that will instill some sort of faith in her. She'll need Bryce's faith to have a shot at being successful in her new objective, even if she doesn't deserve it.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" Bryce asks. Jill answers with a nod, and Bryce's head drops in frustration. He sighs deeply before continuing. "What, were you just going to hope everything worked out? That Chuck would just say no, and then the two of you could ride off into the sunset with no trouble?"

Jill once again doesn't have an answer for Bryce, and this time, it _is_ because he was right. Her shoulders slump in defeat.

"You know how this works, Jill. They're not just going to let him go. If they want him this bad, they'll do whatever it takes to get him. He needs help, Jill, not hope."

"So, what do we do, Bryce?" Jill hopes that Bryce has some sort of plan. He might not always be her favorite person, but right now, she needs him. Chuck needs him.

"First things first," Bryce says, finally putting away his gun. "We need to find Chuck, and do something about Agent Walker. She's the real deal. She won't go quietly."

"I don't care if she kicks and screams, Bryce. I just want to get her the hell away from Chuck."

"Good," Bryce says. "Then let's go find our boy. We'll discuss other plans on the way."

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_**A/N: **__Thank you so, so much for reading as always. There will be Chuck and Sarah in the next chapter, I promise. Tons of it. Although, I can't guarantee Charah, for those that still want it (and I'm aglow with the amount of people who don't, who want Chill instead). Anyway, that's all for now, and please leave me a review to know what you think. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	5. Miscommunication

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Chuck, but I'm sure it wouldn't change much if I did. Except that Charah would be together, there would be a lot more Casey, and Morgan would cease to exist. Other than that, nope no changes._

_**A/N: **__Once again, I was blown away by all of the awesome feedback for chapter four. It's really a good feeling to know that what I'm writing matters to people, and you people make me feel that way, so thank you! Up until now, all of the chapters have had some kind of breaks in them. Some of them were point of view breaks, some of them scene breaks, but all of them had some sort of breaks. This one is different, in that it all happens in one area. I don't know that I've ever done one exactly like that before, so hopefully, it turns out alright. Let me know what you think. A big, big thank you to __**Yokaputo and Sm93Starbuck **__for giving this chapter a look over for me in the planning stages, and giving me their approval. It really means a lot that you ladies are willing to help me out like that. I so value your opinions, and assistance. Thanks to Yok in particular for the beta. Okay, I guess that's enough of my babbling for now. Please enjoy __**Chuck: The College Years chapter 5: Miscommunication. **(Edit: I did add in some miniature breaks to separate the back and forth between Chuck's thoughts and Sarah's thoughts. Hopefully that makes it easier to read. Thanks folks!)._

Edit: Okay, I fixed a couple of line break issues in the latter part of the chapter, and one typo. And big, big thanks to **Poa** for pointing out the errors to me. You're the best, Poa!

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**Chapter 5: Miscommunication **

Sarah is in shock. She did everything but actually beg Chuck to make a move on her. She gave him every nonverbal signal in the seduction manual that it was time for him to take charge. She made it clear that she was his, to do with as he pleased. All of her efforts, however, had proved fruitless. If Chuck wasn't so hung up on his girlfriend, and if Sarah didn't see the clear attraction he felt for her, she would swear he was gay.

If Chuck didn't know any better, he would swear that Sarah was trying to put the moves on him back on the beach. In his heart, however, he knows that wasn't what happened. He dismisses it as wishful thinking. But that brings more thoughts to his mind. He's still having these thoughts he shouldn't have, about his best friend's girlfriend. Not only is she Bryce's girlfriend, though, but she's also a really sweet, caring person, that saw fit to come check on him when she knew he was feeling low. And how does he repay her? By holding some stupid, disrespectful fantasy that she wants him. He resolves himself to be stronger when he's around her. She's a good person, and Chuck really would value a friendship with her.

Sarah knows that Chuck's too good of a person to just go and sleep with anyone, but she's apparently underestimated just how good of a person he is. He won't cheat on his girlfriend, despite the fact that she treats him like garbage. He won't make a move on his friend's girlfriend, despite the fact that it had been made clear, at least in Sarah's mind, that she wanted him to. And on top of all of that, he won't succumb to the whiles of a trained seductress, despite the fact that he is in a horrible place emotionally, and should be putty in her hands. She's still determined to find the key to unlock the Chuck that will allow for her to accomplish her mission, but it's not going to be easy.

It's not going to be easy, but Chuck has to set a lot of stuff straight. He has to find a way to figure out Jill, learn what he did wrong to make her so distant, and somehow make it up to her. He has to talk to Bryce, and let him know about the terrible thoughts he's been having about Bryce's girlfriend. And finally, he needs to talk to Sarah, and apologize for allowing himself to mistake her kindness for something more than it is.

As the two continue to walk in silence back to the house, they notice that all of the lights are off, and it appears that both Bryce and Jill are away.

_Perfect, _Chuck thinks. _At least I can go ahead and get this apology out of the way while Bryce and Jill are away._

_Perfect, _Sarah thinks. _Bryce actually decided to hold up his end of the bargain. Jill's gone, and if I'll be as forward as I have to be to make Chuck understand that he needs to move in on me. I'll just get naked right in front of him if that's what it takes._

Then, a thought occurs to Sarah. She's going about this all wrong. Chuck _is_ different. He's not a typical mark. He's not a typical male, for that matter. She needs to appeal, not to his more animal side. His drive for sex isn't what is going to win him over. She needs to appeal to his more emotional side. She needs to be the only one he trusts.

"Sarah, I need to tell you something," Chuck says, before she can say anything to him.

"I need to tell you something, too," she replies lamely.

"Please let me go first," he asks, fixing her with a pleading gaze that she couldn't turn down if she wanted to. And she _does_ want to.

"I wanted to apologize," he says.

"Apologize?" Sarah asks. "What do you need to apologize for, Chuck?" She really is confused. He has nothing to be sorry for. He's been a perfect gentleman. In fact, he's been more than a perfect gentleman. He's also been a faithful boyfriend, and a loyal best friend. He's been an outstanding person overall, in fact.

"Well, the truth is," he starts, swallowing a lump in his throat. "The truth is, the entire time we were on the beach, and in fact, since I've met you, I've been having these thoughts. And I know it's stupid, but I keep thinking that you're coming on to me. And I know it's not true, I know it's not. You're with Bryce, and he's my friend, and you're just great, and I know that's not what you were doing. You're just being nice, and then I have to go and blow it all out of proportion, and I'm sorry," he finishes his rambling and takes a deep breath, preparing himself for the tongue lashing he knows Sarah is probably going to give him for mistaking her kindness for much more than that.

"Chuck, you weren't imagining anything," Sarah speaks softly.

"I know Sarah, I'm a terrible person, and – wait, what?" he asks, shocked. It takes him a moment to fully process what she's said to him.

"Chuck, there's something you should know. Something I found out, about Bryce," she says, a troubled look plastered on her face, too convincing for the untrained eye to indentify as being a ruse.

Chuck turns to face her, grabbing her shoulders as if to comfort her. "What is it?" he asks.

"So, I know I shouldn't have done this, but long distance relationships are hard. So I kind of looked in Bryce's e-mail one night, and – Chuck, Bryce has been cheating on me." Sarah chokes back a forced sob. She really is an amazing actress. If Chuck has any inclination that what she's saying is faked, he doesn't let on.

"Sarah, I'm – wow, I don't know what to say. Are you sure?" he asks.

"I've been sure for awhile now," she answers. "But I just put two and two together, and I now know what's really been going on," she says.

"What's that, Sarah?"

"Every message that I was able to read from this girl was signed "J". I didn't even think about it being Jill, but then…"

"But then, what, Sarah? What's happening? What do you know?" Chuck asks with a demanding tone.

"Before I came to look for you tonight, I saw them together, Chuck. That's why I came to find you. I knew you would need someone to be there for you," Sarah says.

Nothing is said for several moments between the two. Chuck is doing his best to process the information he's been given. Sarah is waiting to initiate the next step in her plan. Finally, she decides it's time to move.

"God, I can't believe I was so stupid!" she wails. "How did I not know about this?" Her eyes immediately begin to fill with tears, and she sobs openly.

Chuck can't stand to see any woman cry, certainly not one as good as Sarah. He can't believe that his friend would do that to her. He can't believe that his friend would do that to _him_ either. But for whatever reason, he trusts Sarah. What reason would she have to lie to him, anyway? And it's not that far fetched of an idea that Jill might be having an affair. She's certainly been distant from Chuck for a long time now.

Then something else clicked in Chuck's head. He thought back to the confrontation with Jill earlier in the room. At the time, her actions, and her unwillingness to just open up to him had been confusing. Now, however, it makes perfect sense. It was guilt she was feeling then. It's guilt that she's probably been feeling for some time. He decides that Sarah is absolutely right. Jill has been cheating on him, and with Bryce, no less.

He wants to yell out in anger. He wants to do anything he can to get revenge. But revenge isn't exactly in the Chuck Bartowski arsenal. Instead, he does something that he knows he's good at: he comforts a friend in need. Sarah is clearly crushed over what's happened, and she needs a shoulder to cry on. Chuck is more than happy to offer than shoulder, as he wraps her in a firm hug.

Sarah buries her head in Chuck's shoulder, as he continues to hold her. She's still forcing herself to cry, knowing he can feel the vibrations from her body. However, if he could actually see her face right now, he would know see the smile that was actually curling her lips. Her plan is right back on track.

Now it is time for the next phase of the plan. Sarah acts embarrassed. "I'm so sorry Chuck," she says. "Here I am, only worried about myself. This can't be easy for you either. I'm so sorry this happened. And I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

"Sarah, you have nothing to be sorry about. I - I don't know what to say."

He's clearly devastated, and Sarah appears as though she feels the same way. However, this is just what she wanted. Chuck is emotionally vulnerable, and he's putty in her hands.

She continues crying, and Chuck, being Chuck, wraps her in another hug. She melts into his embrace. After several minutes, she hesitantly kisses him. He doesn't return the gesture and pulls back slightly.

_Dammit, too strong, she admonishes herself._

"Sarah, I don't think this is a good idea," he says, confirming her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, it's just - it's just that, I really like you, Chuck." She is a little disturbed at how true that statement is. He's a mark; she shouldn't like him at all. She pauses to collect herself, but uses the break in conversation to her advantage, as it adds affect.

"Please?" she pleads.

Chuck has never felt so conflicted, and despite his inner protests, he acquiesces to Sarah's wishes, and he kisses her back.

It's soft, and sweet, unlike any kiss Sarah has ever felt. _If this wasn't a mission_, she thinks. _But it is a mission, and you have to stay on track_, she finishes the thought, brushing away the non-agent like thoughts she was beginning to have.

Chuck and Sarah continue to kiss. Things are moving very slow, but Sarah hopes that Bryce will give her the time she needs to complete the act. Her hopes are dashed when she hears the door slam open.

Both Sarah and Chuck whip around to face in intruder, and are greeted by the sight of a very pissed off Jill.

"Get the fuck away from my boyfriend," Jill yells.

"Jill, it's not what it looks like!" Chuck says very unconvincingly. "It's just - it's just," he stammers, before regaining his confidence. "Wait. Why am I explaining myself? What's been going on between you and Bryce?" he asks with an unusual amount of force in his voice.

"What's been going on - wait, what are you talking about?" Jill asks.

"Don't try to deny it, Jill. Sarah told me everything."

Jill looks over at the blonde, a look of murder in her eyes. "What did she tell you?" Jill asks, not taking her eyes off the agent.

"She told me everything. Jill, I know."

Jill ignores Chuck's words, and moves over to face Sarah.

"Super mia morta korpo! " Jill says in broken Esperanto.

It's not grammatically correct, but from her speech, Sarah can tell Jill understands the language perfectly. _Oh shit_, Sarah thinks. _She knows everything. She heard the entire conversation in the car._

Sarah decides that the best defense, in her current situation, is probably a strong offense, so she goes on the attack. "I'll told him Jill. I told him about you and Bryce, and what you two have been doing behind his back. Behind my back, too," she says angrily. "You can deny it all you want, but you know it's the truth."

If Jill didn't know just how skilled of a liar she was dealing with, she would swear that Sarah actually believed what she was saying.

"Truth?" she asks. "You want the truth? Then maybe Chuck should know everything. Maybe I should tell Chuck who you really are."

Sarah knows she has to stay calm to maintain her cover, so despite the rage that is building in her, she resists attacking the other woman. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," she lies.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but please, don't fight, you guys,' Chuck says, doing his best to mediate the confrontation.

"Chuck, not now," both women admonish him.

"Alright then," he says, taken aback at how they'd snapped at him. "I guess I'll just wait outside." Chuck slinks away, hurt, confused, and a little intimidated by the force with which they'd spoken to him.

Once Chuck has left the room, Sarah's gaze returns to Jill. There is a not glint in the cold, blue eyes of the blonde agent. It's a look that her enemies will one day fear. It's a look of determination, and malice. Jill on the other hand doesn't look intimidated in the least. She came back to the house to save Chuck, and she's not going to let one pissed off CIA agent stand in the way of that.

"So what are you going to do now, _Agent_ Walker?" Jill asks with a sardonic lilt to her voice.

"You need to tell me how much you know, Ms. Roberts. You're interfering with an official CIA operation. Many would see that as treason. Is that really worth risking over a man that you have paid basically no attention to since I've met you?" Sarah doesn't take her eyes off her current target. Once false move, and she won't hesitate to end Jill right here.

"Chuck is worth anything that I have to risk," Jill says. She's relieved to note that saying that wasn't hard, and it wasn't at all a lie. She knows now that she will literally lay down everything for Chuck, to keep him safe, even if he never knows about it. Whatever happens to her will be worth it to keep him away from this agency scum.

"You still need to tell me how much you know. If you're a threat…" Sarah lets her voice trail off, the threat evident in her tone.

"I know everything. I know who you are; I know who Bryce is; and I know what you intend to do to Chuck. I'm afraid I can't allow that," Jill says, her own voice now filled with just as much venom as that of the other woman.

"And I'm afraid you don't have a say in the matter, Jill," Sarah replies. "Make this easy on yourself. Tell me who you're working for, and walk away."

"I'm working for Chuck," Jill replies, "and I'll never walk away. Not from him."

"Then I'm sorry, but I can't allow a threat like _you_ to continue to be around such an important CIA target as is Chuck Bartowski." Sarah's voice has grown very cold and detached. She's in a very professional state of mind, and when one's profession is killing people, that's generally bad news for the target of the ire.

Jill is unarmed, and she knows she's in trouble when she sees Sarah start to move for what could only be a concealed weapon.

Sarah begins to reach for her Smith & Wesson 5906 that she has tucked neatly in the waistband of her shorts. She's never killed a person, but she's more than ready to have her first kill right here, right now. Before she can draw her sidearm, however, she feels the force of someone grabbing her arm from behind.

Bryce walks quietly into the room. He'd told a despondent Chuck, who was waiting outside, that he would go in and try to defuse the situation. Chuck had looked at Bryce with an icy glare, the likes of which Bryce has never seen on his friend before. Whatever had caused Chuck's anger, however, would have to wait for later. Jill may be a traitor to the country, but if Bryce wants to save Chuck, he knows he'll need Jill's help, if just for a little while.

So when he sees Sarah slowly reaching for her weapon, Jill pinned defenselessly against the wall, he moves as quickly as possible over to his partner and grabs her arm, pinning it behind her back. He can feel the shock radiate through Sarah, and she abandons her attempt to retrieve her weapon.

Bryce spins her around, and slams her against the wall, holding both of her arms in place. Sarah struggles to free herself, but against someone with just as much training as her, and someone much stronger physically than herself, the attempts are futile.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, but I can't let you take Chuck. He's too good for this business, Sarah." She doesn't reply to Bryce's comment, merely staring at him defiantly. He continues, "What should we do with you?" he asks rhetorically.

"Bryce, she knows too much. We can't leave her alive," Jill offers.

Bryce sighs, and takes in Jill's words. He knows what she says is true. Sarah Walker is far too dangerous to their cause to be kept alive at this point. She's the one person that can bring down this newly constructed rogue operation by herself. It will be hard enough to pull this off as it is. They don't need added complications.

"You're right, Jill," he says in a sullen voice. "I'm really sorry about this Sarah. I really am."

Before he can move to draw his own weapon to terminate the threat that is Sarah Walker, the door slams open once again. All three heads whip around to see Chuck standing there, dumbfounded at what he sees.

Although Bryce and Jill both have the best intentions in mind for their friend, Chuck sees none of that. All he sees is the woman that finally told him the truth being held against the wall, with both Bryce and Jill looking at her threateningly. At first, the two agents and the scientist are at a loss for how to react to Chuck's intrusion, and the current situation without blowing their respective covers.

Unfortunately for the two that planned to play hero, Sarah is the first to come up with a plan.

"Bryce, please, let me go," she begs. "I'm sorry, Bryce! Chuck had to know the truth."

And that's the confirmation Chuck was waiting for. He moves swiftly across the room and grabs Bryce, pulling him away from the blonde, and taking her by the hand.

"Wait, Chuck, you don't understand," Jill pleads.

"She's right Chuck, there's a lot going on here that you don't know about," Bryce adds.

"I think I know all I need to know, Bryce. And I don't want to _ever_ see you lay a hand on her again. Come on, Sarah. Let's get out of here," Chuck says, pulling her towards the door.

Sarah smiles inwardly as she follows her rescuer out of the house, leaving a very worried and confused Bryce and Jill in their wake.

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_**A/N: **__Thank you again for reading my little fic. I really hope you'll review and let me know what you think. I appreciate those reviews from the bottom of my heart. Down in the cockles of my heart. In fact, maybe below the cockles. Maybe in the sub-cockle region. Maybe in the liver, maybe in the kidney, maybe even in the colon, I don't know. Anyway, yeah, I hope you enjoyed it, and I look forward to your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	6. Regrets

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Chuck now, nor have I ever._

_**A/N: **__A big, big thank you to **EnigmaDW, MXPW**, and **SM93starbuck** for their input in this chapter. Wouldn't have been nearly as good without you. Also thank you to all of those of you that took time to review. It really, really means a lot to have that kind of support from the readers. The Chuck fan fiction readers really are the best, and I feel blessed to be a part of this community. Alright, now I hope you enjoy __**Chuck: The College Years chapter 6: Regrets.

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**Chapter 6: Regrets**

**Regrets of a Father**

Even after all of his time in this world filled with spies, lies, and violence, Stephen Bartowski hated the thought of people having to die for any cause. So it was with a twinge of regret that he watched through the video surveillance that he'd planted on Chuck's roommate as both Bryce and Jill conspired to end the threat that was the blonde agent.

That's when everything went to hell. Chuck came into the room and began shouting at his friends, took the CIA agent by the hand, and left. The man known as Orion to the intelligence community knew that the two left behind had stayed silent to protect their cover, and he couldn't blame them. In fact, he didn't want Chuck to know what was really going on either. He had to admit, however, that exposing the truth to his son would have been better than letting him fall into the hands of the Agency.

All of his efforts, and sacrifice since leaving Charles and Eleanor had been intended to keep them away from the world Orion had been immersed in for so long, but now, all of that would be for naught. Chuck would be taken away, and forced to live a covert life full of death, deception, and disappointment. This is no time to mourn the loss of his innocence, Stephen. He can still be saved. You know what they want, so give it to them.

Stephen pulled a modified satellite phone from his coat pocket and, hesitating only slightly, dialed a number he'd hoped to never have to dial again.

"Graham, secure."

"Langston, this is Orion."

"Ah, I thought I might be hearing from you." The director's smugness was evident in his voice.

"I'll bet you did." Stephen replied, his voice full of thinly veiled malice. "You can have what you want, Graham. I'll come back to work on that damned computer, and your inhumane Project Omaha. Just leave my son out of this."

"We'll see, Orion. We've been deceived by you before. When you show up in my office, then we'll talk."

"Graham, I'm serious. You people have already done enough to tear my family apart. You took Elizabeth from me and the kids, you forced my hand and made me leave them behind, please don't destroy us again."

"We'll see," Graham repeated simply.

The call disconnected, and Orion was left holding the phone, literally. That son of a bitch hung up on me. I swear, one day, Graham. One day.

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**Regrets of Deception**

"Sarah, what the hell was that?" Chuck finally asked.

Since leaving the house, she hadn't said a word to him except to tell him to get in the car, and, being that her voice held no room for compromise, he'd acquiesced.

They'd been driving for at least twenty minutes, to where, Chuck hadn't a clue. He was ready for some answers, and seeing as they'd left Jill and Bryce behind, they would have to come from Sarah. But she still wasn't looking at him, and he hadn't been able to get a word from her.

"Sarah?" Chuck's voice was pleading. "I really just want to know what's going on."

"Chuck – I…" Sarah's voice trailed off. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, surprised that she actually meant it.

"You're sorry? Sarah, I already told you that you have nothing to be sorry about. This isn't your fault. At least I don't think it is. So just tell me. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be fine," Chuck assured her.

How does he do that? Sarah thought. Once again, Chuck had disarmed her. Her: the girl that conned people out of money as a child and never thought twice about it. She was the girl that gladly became a CIA agent, accepting with that role all of the things - killing, lying, cheating, seduction – that may go along with it. Somehow this simple, nerdy man could soften her. He could make her have a conscious. He could make her feel regret.

But as much as she wished he was right, and that she really had nothing to be sorry for, she knew that she had to tell him the truth. He'd been strung along for long enough, and if he was going to join willingly, as Graham had ordered that he must, then he would have to find out sometime. Like ripping off a band-aid, Walker.

"Chuck, I haven't been completely honest with you," she began.

"What? What do you mean, Sarah? I mean, I saw Bryce and Jill attack you. It had to be because of what you told me, right? Unless – oh my god, were they mad because you lied? I mean, that's still no reason for Bryce to attack you, but if you lied, and then I accused Jill..."

"I did lie to you, Chuck, but that's not why they attacked me. I'm not exactly who you think I am," she stated.

"What? What does that mean?" Chuck's face had taken on a look of bewilderment. Sarah's words were making less and less sense by the minute, and he wasn't exactly keen on being lied to.

"Chuck, I'm a CIA agent," she said.

"You're a – a spy? Does Bryce know about that?"

"Yes, he does. Chuck, Bryce and I are not a couple. He's my partner," she said, keeping an even voice.

"Wait, Bryce is a spy too? So, if Jill was helping Bryce attack you, does that mean that she's involved as well? Oh my god, this is – this is-" Chuck couldn't find the words to finish his thoughts. On one hand, it was kind of cool to be surrounded by spies, but on the other hand, it was very scary. The scary part was winning out, and Chuck was trying to will himself to not freak out. Then another thought occurred to Chuck. If Bryce and Jill attacked Sarah, who was also an agent…

"But if you're all agents, why would they attack you? Sarah, did you do something bad? Are you," he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, "are you in trouble?"

She was relieved that she could answer him somewhat truthfully. He deserved some shred of honesty in the horrible mess that had developed.

"No, Chuck, I'm not. I'm one of the good guys. I don't know who Jill works for, but she and Bryce were attempting to interfere with a government operation. Bryce is acting as a rogue, and it is likely that he's joined up with whoever is giving Jill her orders." Sarah explained.

"What operation? What's going on? Wait, if you tell me, do you have to kill me, because if you do, then you don't have to tell me. I mean, I promise I won't tell anyone who you are. I'm great at keeping secrets." Chuck rambled.

Sarah had to suppress a smile. He was really adorable when he rambled like that. Adorable wasn't something she ran into everyday as a spy, and certainly not something she would expect of someone that was so wanted by the CIA.

Adorable was also dangerous, if it was going to make her act so affectionately towards him. She'd have to be on her guard. Maybe when he learned to harness that, however, it could become his greatest weapon. 'Killing them with kindness', she'd once heard it called. She wondered if that could actually work in a world full of ruthless killers. _Yeah, probably not, _she thought.

"Chuck, I promise, I don't want to kill you. The operation ˆis you." she explained.

"Me?" Chuck asked.

"Yes, you." Sarah said. "I was, well, I am supposed to help recruit you. We want you to be one of us. We want you to serve your country. This is a great opportunity, Chuck."

"Wait, why would they want me? I'm not a spy, Sarah. There must be some mistake. I mean, I'm just a normal guy." Chuck replied with panic in his voice. Then something else occurred to him. "Back at the house, that's why you were trying to, you know..." Chuck said uncomfortably, which bellied his dejection and anger at the thought.

"Yes, it was Chuck," Sarah said frankly. "But that has nothing to do with you. I just thought that I would convince you…" her voice trailed off as she took in the growing look of irritation on the face of her passenger.

"I don't know why they want you. It's not my job to question orders; it's my job to carry them out. But I know they want you. And I know how much this can change your life. I know that it can give you meaning. It has for me." she told him.

And she meant every word of what she said. Before Graham brought her into the Agency, she was lost on a road to being nothing. She owed the CIA everything, and it made her proud to be able to offer that chance to someone else. She only hoped that Chuck wasn't right. She hoped that Graham knew what he was doing bringing this kind hearted man into the world of international espionage.

"You know, you could have just asked." Chuck huffed.

"I – what? Um, Chuck, would you please come work for the CIA?" Sarah asked with a confused lilt to her voice.

"Okay." Chuck said simply.

"Okay?" Sarah questioned. Could it really be that easy? Could she have just asked him from the beginning? It certainly would have made her mission a lot simpler.

"Yeah, okay, I'll do it. If they think they need me, then I want to do it." he answered her.

It seemed like the right thing to do. It had been only a year prior that Chuck had sat in his room at the fraternity house with Bryce and watched as the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked. So many people had lost their lives that day, and if he could do something to stop such things in the future, he knew he would want to. He knew deep down that he needed to.

Sarah picked up her phone, excited that her first solo mission seemed to have been a great success. If this was as important as Graham had made it out to be, then completing the task could earn her great favor with the director. In fact, she thought that she might be able to finagle a position within this project that Chuck was being brought into. Staying on Chuck's good side would certainly help with that, so before she requested extraction, she decided to try to earn some points with the agency's newest recruit.

"Chuck, can I ask you something?" she asked innocently.

"Umm, yeah, what's up?" he responded distractedly.

"When they start your training, and they bring you in as an agent, would you be willing to work with me?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"Sarah, you're the only spy I know that has been straight forward with me. Well, I guess you've been straight forward, other than the not asking me directly if I would help, and trying to seduce me. But then I probably wouldn't know if you were lying to me all along, now would I?" he mused dejectedly.

"Chuck, I promise you, I have been as honest with you as I can. I lied to you when we first met, but I haven't told you anything that wasn't true about the agency." Except that part where I told you that Bryce was sleeping with Jill, but we'll forget that for now.

"Well, anyway, what I was going to say is, I don't know who to trust in all of this."

"Chuck, I promise you this. I'm here for you. Trust me." she said.

"That's just it, though. I do trust you. I don't know why, when everything inside of me is screaming at me to run away, and trust no one, I trust you."

Sarah was taken aback by the earnestness in his eyes. He really does trust me. There's nothing fake there at all. Why would he trust me? I don't deserve that! You stupid man, don't you know who you're dealing with? I'm a spy! I will deceive you at the drop of a hat if my orders are to do so. Dammit Chuck, question me! Question everything! No one is going to look out for you now.

Of course, she didn't voice any of those thoughts. The side of her that was the daughter of a con man, and a rising CIA agent wouldn't allow her newly forming conscious to overrule her fully ingrained dedication to the job. So steeling her more tender and caring thoughts away, she dialed the number for her contact that she arranged to get both her and her charge out of Mexico.

"Walker, secure. I have the asset in tow. Requesting immediate extraction." A pause, as she listened to the reply. "Affirmative, we'll be at the rendezvous in ten minutes. Walker out."

She turned back to her passenger with a smile. "We'll be boarding our plane for Washington in ten minutes Chuck. This should be fun, right?"

Chuck thought over the question asked of him. It would be a learning experience. It would be life changing. It would be honorable, and the right thing to do. But fun?

"It's work." he replied stoically.

* * *

**Regrets of Loss and Failure**

Bryce and Jill sat in stunned silence for several minutes after the failure of their ill conceived rescue attempt, neither able to make eye contact with the other.

Bryce had a myriad of emotions and feelings running through his head. He was amazed that a plan, hastily put together as it was, had been able to fail so completely. He was angry at his partner for deceiving him, and taking his friend away. He was also angry at himself for letting Chuck down. Chuck was like a little brother to Bryce, who'd grown up without any siblings of his own, and he'd always felt protective of the taller man. But in the end, he couldn't keep Chuck away from a life that Bryce was sure was all wrong for him.

Then there were the less caring, less compassionate thoughts that he was starting to have. He'd been backstabbed by the Agency. While he knew that it shouldn't come as a shock to him that a covert organization may operate in such a shady manner, it still hurt that he'd been kept out of the loop. Maybe it was selfishness, but why didn't they think he was capable of recruiting Chuck by himself? Chuck was his friend, and they'd send a stranger? Maybe he could earn more of his employers trust if he was the one to uncover Fulcrum. He had an actual agent of the clandestine group here with him, and she'd never know he was planning to turn her in, until it was too late.

If Jill was concerned that Bryce may be having such thoughts of betraying her, she didn't show it. She was too consumed with her own feelings of failure and loss. After staring at the now vacated doorway for what seemed like hours, but in reality only five minutes, she slumped to the floor, her shoulders sagging under the all too heavy burden of defeat.

She'd lied to, and hurt Chuck for months now in hopes that it would keep him away from the dangerous world that she'd been thrust into. Sadly, in the end, it was those lies and cruel behavior that served to push him head first into it. Her inability to protect the man that she loved so completely tore at her heart and a part of her just wanted to curl up and die right where she sat.

Her more rational side knew that inaction wasn't going to help the situation. All was not lost yet, and Chuck could still be helped. Of course, she couldn't do that from a detention cell or a grave, so she needed to make sure Bryce was still on her side. She couldn't let him turn on her in hopes of salvaging his own career, or his pride.

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

Bryce looked slightly startled at the sudden break in the silence so prevalent in the room since chuck and Sarah had left, but quickly recovered.

"What do you mean? We lost, Jill! She has him, which means the Agency has him. I told you what –" He paused, not yet willing to tell Jill about the existence of, or Bryce's knowledge of Orion. She was, after all, still an enemy agent. "I told you what I found out. They plan to experiment on him. They'll do things to him that can possibly kill him, and even if they don't, they'll train him as an operative. He's too pure for that! He won't survive in the field."

Jill wasn't one given to motivational speeches, but Bryce's defeatist attitude wasn't helping solve the problem at hand. She had to say something to get him out of his current funk, because she certainly couldn't do anything to help on her own.

"And you're just giving up? Do you think Chuck would give up on you, or would he do everything he could to save you? Because I think it's the latter. So which is it, Bryce? Are you going to sit there wallowing in self pity, or are we going to save your friend, and my boyfriend?"

Bryce stared blankly for a moment at the woman who'd suddenly become so impassioned by their current cause. He knew she was right. Chuck would never abandon hope for helping a friend or a loved one. He would do anything in his power to help, right through to the bitter end. Now, Chuck deserved that same sort of effort from Bryce.

"Fine, but we need a better plan this time. I have a couple of people inside that I can talk to that can hopefully shed some light on what exactly it is we're up against. We need to know the details of this operation they're bringing Chuck into if we want to get him out."

Jill was relieved that the proactive, confident Bryce that she knew, and sometimes loathed, was back. That's the Bryce that would help her get Chuck out.

"Yeah, that works. I should probably report to my Fulcrum superiors that everything has gone as planned. They wanted me to let Walker have Chuck in hopes that I could reconnect once he's on the inside. I should be able to keep them off our trail, and maybe glean something from them about what they know about the project. After all, if I'm supposed to contact Chuck, I'll need to know what I'm dealing with."

Bryce was a little uneasy dealing so directly with an enemy of the state such as Fulcrum, but in this instance, doing so seemed like the lesser of two evils, and Jill had a point. They could keep Fulcrum at bay, and hopefully learn more about this 'Project Omaha' by telling them what they wanted to hear.

"Fine, that works," Bryce said. "I'll try to rustle up some sort of transportation out of here, as it seems my wonderful partner took the car we came in."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Thank you once again for reading my stuff. It really means a lot, and I mean that. It just wouldn't be the same without the readers and reviewers. And speaking of reviewers, I look forward to your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	7. Trust

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, or Sarah, or Bryce, or Jill, or Orion. I think that's the only people mentioned by name in this chapter, but if there's someone else, I don't own them either. Slavery, after all, is illegal. Ain't you ever heard of the "Emancipation Proclamation"? _

_A/N: Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers in chapter 6. I really appreciate it, and I'm sorry for my delay in replying to them. I'll strive to do better this chapter, I promise! Just give me a shot. Please? A big, big thank you to __**MXPW**__for his super input on this chapter, and the fic in general. His insight has been invaluable to say the least. If you haven't read his work, in particular his latest fic, __**Chuck vs. the Double Agent**__, you need to run out and read it right now. I promise, this chapter isn't going anywhere, and you'll thank me later. Alright, I suppose that's all for now. Hope you enjoy, and please review. Thanks!

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**Chapter 7: Trust**

They are somewhere over Kansas when the questions start to fly. It comes as a shock to Sarah, as the flight up until this point has been blissfully quiet. She's always been most comfortable in silence, which is one of the many things that makes her nervous around Chuck. He doesn't do quiet. Not for long, anyway, as she can tell. So she should have almost expected this onslaught, but somehow, it still comes as a shock to her system when he comes to take a seat beside her and he begins to speak inquisitively.

She tries to feign sleep in hopes that he'll just go away. She doesn't want to be rude, or obnoxious, but honestly, she's scared. She's scared of his honesty. He doesn't hold anything back from what she can tell, and that terrifies her. She's sure that the more she talks to him, the more that he'll see that she's not like him. She's a liar by trade and by nature. Her entire life is a fabrication, making her very existence a mockery of his own. When he begins to lightly shake her shoulder, however, to rouse her from her pretend slumber, she knows she has to face whatever it is he has in store, regardless of fear. Of course, she has one more card she can play.

Chuck continues to try to shake Sarah awake. Suddenly, her hand whips up to grab his arm, twisting it into an uncomfortable position and pinning his head to the seat of the plane with her other hand all in one fluid motion. Her eyes snap open, and she's giving him the hardest look she has, her arctic blue eyes cutting into him like razors.

"Lesson number one in being a spy, Chuck," she says, her voice calm but very firm. "Sleep is when you're most vulnerable. I learned that a long time ago, so you would be well served to not to wake me in such a fashion again. Got it?"

"Got it, got it," Chuck struggles to say. "I'm sorry, I give."

She takes one last look at the terrified look on his face before slowly releasing the hold she has on him. She almost feels bad for doing that to him, but he did need to learn that lesson, and she needed a way out of whatever conversation he felt was more important than her sleep, even if she wasn't really sleeping. She only hopes that her intimidation tactic works.

"About that," he begins, dashing her hopes as he starts to get his bearings back. "Sarah, what if," he swallows the lump that has formed in his throat, "What if I can't do it? What if I'm not good enough? Or what if I change my mind? What will they do with me?"

Sarah looks at him and almost feels sympathy. He still looks terrified, and she's not positive that it's because of her earlier attack. In fact, she's quite sure that it's not. He's been thinking, and drawing some of the same conclusions that she had earlier about just how wrong he is for this line of work, she concludes. But sympathy and worry don't play into what she's been assigned to do, and she can't take them into account now. She still needs him to go in willingly, but at the end of the day, he has no choice one way or the other. She has to make him feel better about what's going to transpire, her own instincts and the strange sensation of affection for him that's growing in her gut be damned.

"Chuck, that's not going to happen. They wouldn't have tapped you for this job if they didn't know you could do it. They certainly wouldn't have recruited you in such a fashion. They want you bad Chuck, because they know that you'd be ideal for this job. And I don't know any of the details of what they want you for," she lies, "but I'm sure it's vitally important. We need all the help we can get in the intelligence community now. We're at war Chuck, and it's a war that we can't win with traditional methods. We have to be smarter than the enemy. That's where you come in."

"Me?" he asks. "But why me? I mean, you're an Ivy League student! I'm sure the Agency is filled with them. You're all probably way smarter than I am. I'm just a computer nerd. I don't know anything about being a spy," he finishes pathetically.

"You're not supposed to know anything about being a spy yet, Chuck. That's why you'll be trained. They'll teach you everything you need to know. And I promise I won't leave your side if you don't want me to. You'll have a friend there."

Of course, he doesn't need to know that she has ulterior motives for wanting to befriend him that suit only her purposes. This Project Omaha is Graham's pet project, and from all indications, it's incredibly important. If she can somehow win the loyalty of the most crucial member of that team, it could land her a top spot in an operation that would normally fall well beyond the normal posting of such a junior agent as herself. _Plus he'll need someone on his team that will protect his interests. Wait, why do I care about that?_

"Thank you," he answers her reassurance quietly, clearly still deep in thought. "I appreciate what you're doing for me, Sarah."

"Hey," she says, giving him a small smile. "Don't worry about it. We were all new at some point. Someone had to help me too. I'm just paying it forward, right?" she asks, grabbing his hand supportively.

She's not prepared, however, for the electricity that comes with the contact. It's unlike earlier, even when they kissed, because that was just her playing a role. She had a slip or two during her attempted seduction, sure, but this is entirely different. Even though she's only trying to be supportive because it behooves her cause, her mission, it's still much more real than she'd anticipated, and it's uncomfortable. She looks into his eyes, and knows that he feels it too. She snatches her hand back as though she's been burned. A blush quickly rises to her cheeks, and she's at a loss for words that will dismiss the situation.

"Umm…" she struggles. "Hey, we still have some hours left until we get there. You should go get some rest. You'll want to be fresh when we arrive, you know?"

Chuck nods slowly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll just go try to get some sleep."

He goes back to his seat, leaving Sarah to her thoughts about just what the hell that was a moment ago. Never in her life has she felt something as strong as that weird connection they made, brief though it may have been. It was so raw, so real. She'll have to get that under control before they land. It wouldn't look good if she showed up to debrief from her first _real_ mission completely compromised by her mark.

So caught up in her thoughts about what happened is she, that she doesn't notice Chuck in his seat, not sleeping, but clearly restless, nervous. He hadn't been able to tell Sarah about all of his doubts, and now they are growing by the minute. A lot of things about this situation still don't sit right with him, although he is at a loss as to exactly what it is that's bothering him. It's almost as though the real truth behind everything that's happened is right on the tip of his tongue. It's a puzzle waiting to be solved, and while Chuck is generally great with puzzles, he's not sure he has all of the pieces to the one before him. Not yet, anyway.

* * *

"Somehow, when you said you were going to find a way out of here, I didn't have this in mind," Jill says taking in the decrepit appearance of the beaten down, old, red pickup truck Bryce bought for cheap from some local.

"What? It runs and it will get us where we need to go," he responds.

"Uh-huh. You sure about that?" she asks.

"Look, I know it's not exactly as nice as what we came in…"

"It looks like you bought it off Fred Sanford!" Jill exclaims.

"Fine," Bryce admits. "But that said, it will get us far enough to find some other means of getting the hell out of Mexico. Or have you forgotten that we have some goal in all of this? Because Walker is probably cruising at 35,000 feet over the heartland right now with Chuck in tow."

That thought tempers Jill's hostility and brings her focus back to the task at hand. Chuck is the mission, and his rescue and safety outweigh any doubt she may have about the capability, or comfort of their temporary mode of transportation.

"Yeah, you're right," Jill says. "So any idea where we need to be headed?"

"No," Bryce answers frankly. "I don't think we need to go right into the mouth of the beast just yet, but it's hard to say. We need to go somewhere that they can't find us, and figure out what's going on. At least, that's what I would suggest."

"That sounds easy enough. Remind me of the part where we are capable of eluding the largest intelligence agency in the world again," she says sarcastically.

Before Bryce can fire back with a quip of his own, his phone begins to chirp. Taking it from his pocket, he looks at the caller ID to realize that the call is coming from an unknown source. He knows it has to be either someone from the agency, possibly even Sarah, or it could be Orion. The latter's communication he would welcome, the former, he'd rather avoid. Taking a deep breath and preparing to speak with whoever it is, Bryce answers the phone.

"Who is this?" Bryce answers into the handset.

"Yeah."

"Yeah, okay, we'll be there," he says, and puts the phone away.

"Who was it?" Jill asks.

"Huh, oh, it was just one of my contacts," he lies, still not wanting Jill to know the whole truth. He may have to trust her to a certain extent, but he still doesn't trust her enough to let her in on every detail of what he knows. "Looks like we have somewhere to go after all," he adds before she can question him further.

* * *

Stephen shuts down his customized laptop that he used to misdirect any ratbastard spooks that might find it fortuitous to trace the call he placed to his son's roommate. He leaves a twenty on the table to cover his bill and a nice tip for the pleasant girl that served him. She reminds him a lot of his Elizabeth many moons ago. Her blue/gray eyes and brown hair struck up that pain of loss that Stephen feels whenever he's reminded of his loss. And this girl looks so much like her that she could be her sister, or her daughter. _She could be Eleanor. _

That thought brings more sadness to the computer nerd turned covert world operative, and it's all he can do to contain his emotions and not have a breakdown right there in this little café. But he can't afford to be spotted here. He has to go to them on his own terms. He has to hold the power in the negotiations if he wants to keep Charles free of the darker side of the human existence that most don't know about, and Stephen himself wishes he could still claim ignorance of.

Walking back out onto the streets of San Diego, he hails a cab and directs the driver to take him to the airport. He needs to get to Washington as soon as possible. He knows they won't hesitate to upload that monstrosity into his son's head, and at that point, there would be no getting out of this for Charles. Not alive. Orion has to get there in time to stop it, by whatever means he can.

* * *

About five hours after fleeing the house and leaving his roommate and his girlfriend, who, according to Sarah are involved in some sort of criminal operation, or some sort of covert group operating independently of the United States government, the plane touches down in Manassas, Virginia.

Sarah told him that it was important that their tracks be covered as much as possible, which explains why they took off from an airport in La Paz, and why they are landing as far outside of DC as they are. It was one of the few things she told him since they'd run. It was almost as though she was avoiding him, which was a curious occurrence to Chuck. He is, after all, the one that had been lied to for who knows how long. He is the one that was asked to be a part of a world he knew nothing about. He is the one that has every reason in the world to doubt her, and to doubt whoever is giving her orders. Why then would she try to avoid him? What threat could he possibly pose to her? Were all of the niceties that she showed him simply a way to gain his cooperation? Is she done with him now that she has him back in the nation's capital?

Those are just a few of the many questions that are now swirling in his mind. It's disturbing that even as he gets no answers to any of them, more questions continue to crop up. He's not a man designed on distrusting others. In fact, many, his sister Ellie included, would probably say if asked that he is a bit naïve. Even so, he feels as though he should watch himself and by extension those around him very closely while he's here. He doesn't think there's any way they can force him to do something he doesn't want to do, or something he's not comfortable with, but judging by the way they tried to get him on board with their demands in the first place, he certainly doesn't put it past them to try.

"You ready to go?" Sarah asks, opening the driver's side door to what appears to be a brand new, black Porsche 911.

"Um, yeah, I guess," Chuck answers hesitantly. "Nice car," he comments as he climbs into the passenger's side.

"Yeah, it is. I didn't think they'd actually get it for me. The CIA really can get you anything, I guess," she says, turning the key excitedly.

"Wait, this isn't your car?" he asks.

"Well, yes and no," she says. "It's not mine in that I didn't pay for it. But I asked the Agency to have this exact car here waiting on me, and it looks like they came through. They look out for their agents, Chuck. They can give you anything you want."

"Really?" he asks skeptically. "Isn't Bryce one of their agents? And they would leave him behind in Mexico to fend for himself? That doesn't seem to me like they're really looking out for all of their agents, Sarah."

She sighs, admitting to herself that he has a point. Bryce really had been given a raw deal by the agency. He'd been left in the dark because of what they thought he might do to protect his friend, and then when he did what they knew he would do, he was villanized. Left in a foreign country to survive or not of his own merits. That's not really the mark of a group that has the best intentions for someone. Still, the Agency has always looked out for her. They saved her from a life of petty thievery, and set her on the path of accomplishment. They are the good guys. Bryce brought his problems on himself. She has to believe that. To believe otherwise would be to admit that she is wrong. That what she is doing with her life is not better than what her father did with his. And she can't think that.

"Bryce got what he deserved," she says, no convinced that she's telling him the truth. "He broke procedure and turned his back on the CIA. He turned his back on the country, and his duty. What happened to Bryce is actually pretty light punishment for a traitor."

Chuck contemplates her words. _Is Bryce really a traitor? He made a bad decision, yes, but is he truly one of the bad guys? Is Jill? Are they no better than the people that led the attack on America last September? That can't be true? Can it? _

"So you're saying that Bryce and Jill are just common terrorists? But they're my friends," Chuck argues lamely.

Sarah looks down slightly, trying to collect her thoughts. She knows that Bryce isn't a terrorist. He's a good friend. Or at least he's trying to be. And Jill, Sarah doesn't know what the deal is with Jill. She didn't think Chuck would question her this much after his steadfast agreement to come along with her. She thought he would follow her blindly. Part of her hoped that he had come to like her in the short time they'd had together. And maybe he did, but it's not in his nature to turn his back on anyone. _This is going to be harder than I thought. _

"Chuck, if you're going to make it in this world, you have to realize that not everyone is going to have good intentions, even those people that you think you should be able to trust. No one is above question. You can't let yourself fall victim to deceit."

"No one is above question?" he asks.

"No one," she answers steadfastly.

"Not even you?"

She is taken aback by his question. She didn't mean to implicate herself. She wants Chuck to trust her, for professional reasons of course. And maybe a little for personal reasons, when she's honest with herself. But if she's going to get this point across to him, and get him to forget about his friends that he left behind, she has to completely sell this point. It's more important than her own gains.

"Not even me," she answers softly.

As the car continues to speed down the highway, Chuck thinks intently over the staggering amount of information he's learned in past 24 hours. His best friend isn't who he said he was. His girlfriend isn't who she said _she_ was either. The new person in his life, the stranger who swooped in to seemingly save him from whatever Bryce and Jill were intending to do asked him to trust her, but now she was telling him that he couldn't trust anyone, not even her.

Everything seems to be getting more complicated by the second, and if his intuition is right, it's only going to get worse before it ever starts to get better.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you so much for reading. I hope you're still enjoying the story, or that you're coming to enjoy it, or that you will enjoy it at some time in the future. As always, I welcome any feedback you may have, and you guys are awesome. Peace. _


	8. Who Will Rescue the Rescuers

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. But maybe I should, seeing as I am actually writing the characters as acting their age, unlike the people that do own Chuck. Of course, in my world, the characters are much younger, but I stand by my point._

_A/N: Okay, I know it's been awhile, but those of you that follow my writing know I've been working on another fic that I had planned on being a pretty short one. Rock and a Hard Place grew a little, and it has put off me updating this one. That won't be a problem in the future, as I think the other one only has one chapter left. This chapter doesn't deal with as much emotion, but it certainly moves the plot forward, maybe more than any other chapter yet. **WafflemanX **pointed out to me in a review that the first six chapters felt like a prologue, and he was right. The first seven really served as a prologue, in fact. Now we're getting more into the meat of the story. Hopefully you'll find it enjoyable. A big, big thank you to **Daydreamer2578 **for betaing this chapter for me, and to the amazing **MXPW** for some awesome input on the writing of this chapter, and all of my chapters of everything lately, for that matter. Thank you for reading, and please review. Thanks!

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**Chapter 8: Who Will Rescue the Rescuers?**

Chuck and Sarah sat in an otherwise empty conference room at the CIA building in Langley, Virginia. For over two hours, the two had been left alone, neither seeming to be comfortable in their current situation. Eye contact between them was only occasional, and was always met with embarrassment when they noticed they'd been leering at one another. No words were spoken.

This had been largely their situation over the past few days, since arriving in DC. The CIA had put them up in a pretty nice hotel. When Chuck heard they only had one room, he'd been worried about just what might happen. Sarah had admitted to him that she had tried to seduce him back in Mexico. Was that still the mission? He didn't think so, as he didn't think she would have been so open with him about her initial goal if it was.

And there was no reason for Sarah to try to seduce him anymore, Chuck reasoned. He'd agreed to go along with whatever they had intended for him. It was true that he was having second thoughts, but Sarah didn't know about that. No one did. He'd made sure of that since his agency escort had told him that he shouldn't trust anyone in this business.

Sarah, on the other hand, was uncomfortable for a completely different reason. Her reports had conveniently left out just how she'd gotten Chuck to come along with her. She'd filed them as she would have after a successful seduction: lacking detail, with a simple conclusion. There was no need for her superiors to know that Chuck was already willing to join the agency, and only needed to be asked. She would let them think that it was she who had made the target sufficiently compliant.

For her perceived efforts, Director Graham had been quite pleased with his star pupil. When she told the Director that she had gotten Chuck to grant her his trust, it had the desired effect for her. Graham had agreed that if Bartowski was brought into the agency in the role that he'd been selected, that Sarah would be his partner. That meant an integral role on a very important project. For such a young agent, that type of assignment was unheard of.

She didn't want to tell Chuck about just how much she'd used him for her own gains, and so she had avoided any prolonged conversation with him while they were together. She hadn't expected that her silence would lead to such an awkward existence between the two of them, however. From her previous experience with Chuck, she'd thought that he would provide plenty of conversation on his own. She worried that he had grown weary of her and her ways, but she wouldn't bring that up with him. And she couldn't bring it up with Graham. The Director had told her to keep Bartowski happy and pliant while he was in the nation's capital, and Sarah didn't want to let her superior know that she hadn't exactly been doing her job.

After what seemed like an eternity, Chuck finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"So – um, yeah. When do you think this guy will be here?" he asked.

Sarah was startled by the sudden break in the quiet of the room, but she quickly recovered.

"_Director Graham_," she corrected him "will be with us when he finishes up with his prior engagement, I'm sure. It shouldn't be much longer," Sarah assured him, though she had no idea if what she was saying was true.

"Well that's good, I guess," Chuck said. A small, thoughtful smile appeared on his countenance before he continued. "Unless – this isn't one of those times I shouldn't trust you, is it Sarah? I mean, maybe it's going to be hours and you're just lying to me," he said sardonically. It's not that he wanted to be a jerk about it, but everything that had happened over the past few days had made him more than a bit uncomfortable with everyone in the intelligence community, Sarah included. That's what, Chuck reasoned, had caused the biting sarcasm to creep into his attempt at humor.

If what Chuck had said hadn't hit so close to home, Sarah would have almost found it funny. She knew he was just making a joke, but it hurt to know that he had actually given thought to not trusting her. Sure, she'd done nothing to deserve his trust, she knew; but still, she wanted him to trust her, to like her. It could be beneficial to her career, after all; and he was a nice guy; and he was kind of cute, in a geeky sort of way.

"No, Chuck, I'm being honest," she said, feigning a laugh as if his barb hadn't hurt. "The Director should be with us soon. For now, we wait. Okay?"

**/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

  
\/\/\/\/\/**

Meanwhile, down the hall, Director Langston Graham was pacing his office furiously. He wasn't sure at what point he should assume that the agency had been jilted once again by the man known as Orion. Graham's offer to keep Orion's son away from the world of spies, lies, and violence was not a ruse. It was a courtesy extended in good faith to an old friend. Before Stephen Bartowski took off all those years ago, Graham had considered the computer whiz to be at least somewhat of a friend. As close to one as you could have in this business, at least.

Of course, that offer came before Stephen's son, Charles, was tested for subliminal retention capabilities. Bringing the son in was initially just a play to get Orion out of hiding. The CIA Director honestly had no intention of making a spy out of Charles. So Graham hadn't expected much when the young man was tested, but the results were staggering. The top candidates the Omaha Project had ever tested scored in the range of 60-70 percent retention. No one had ever been above 80 percent. Then the younger Bartowski came in and scored a 98 percent retention rate.

In every way, young Charles was perfect for the operation. He was the very person Graham had been searching for to take on the mantle of Human Intersect. But that still didn't change the offer in Graham's mind. Orion had served his country well, and if he came back to work for his country again Graham would make sure his family was safe. Langston Graham was a lot of things -- many of them bad – but he wasn't one to go back on his word to a trusted colleague.

That's what troubled Graham about Orion fleeing once again. Two days ago, the creator of the Intersect was supposed to be on site. Two days Graham had delayed making any final decisions as to the fate of Charles Irving Bartowski. But the time to move the operation forward had come. Maybe this was fate lending a hand to the agency. Not that Graham really believed in fate, but at least he finally had the candidate that he wanted for Project Omaha. It was time for Chuck to become a spy. Daddy had failed to come through for his son once again.

**/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

  
\/\/\/\/\/**

What Langston Graham didn't know, or couldn't know for that matter, was that at that very moment, Stephen Bartowski was being taken into custody by an underground organization known as Fulcrum.

Things had gone smoothly up through Orion's meeting with Charles' roommate, Bryce, and girlfriend, Jill. Orion had given the two young adults his instructions on how they were to go about extracting Chuck should Graham go back on his word. Everything they needed to know had been covered, as Stephen Bartowski left no rock unturned.

Or so he thought.

Stephen's paranoia had made him jump at every shadow since he arrived in DC, but his concern was focused far too much on the slew of government agents and officials that he saw on the streets. He never expected an attack from the largely unknown entity that was Fulcrum.

He didn't think Fulcrum would know he was coming. Oh, he knew they would figure it out eventually, but by then it should have been too late. Of course, he hadn't counted on the inexperience in spy-craft of his two new, temporary accomplices to come into play in such a fashion.

It was only as the secret meeting at the small cafe with Bryce and Jill was coming to a close that Orion noticed that something was amiss.

"That sounds simple enough," Bryce said with an air of confidence that bellied his inexperience.

"There's nothing_ simple_ about this, Larkin. You go in there with that cocky attitude, and they'll be writing some fake story about you being robbed and killed by banditos back in Cabo," Orion chastised the younger man.

A silence overtook the meeting, and suddenly both Bryce _and_ Jill found their empty coffee cups very interesting.

"Look, I don't even know if all of this will be necessary," Orion said, deciding that maybe a little positive reinforcement might help the awkwardness of the situation. "For all I know, Graham could be straight up with me. But if you two really want to help Charles if worse should come to worst, then you need to be ready for what might be ahead of you, understood?"

A mumbled chorus of "yeah", and "we understand" came from the two younger conspirators.

"Good, now…"

Orion's voice trailed off as the person sitting across from him suddenly drew his attention.

_The cover art for "Dark Side of the Moon"  
A military record  
A dishonorable discharge  
A list of crimes against humanity  
The cover art for "Dark Side of the Moon"_

Stephen hated flashing. It hurt like hell, and it only got worse as the years went on. That's what this operation was about. He didn't want Chuck to have to live with this curse like he had for so many years now. It wasn't just the danger that would be posed to a Human Intersect by other agencies and covert terrorist regimes, it was the mental anguish of being infected with all of those secrets.

"Are you alright, Mr. Bartowski?" Bryce asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Stephen growled.

He tried to ignore the man that had triggered the flash, but looking away from him didn't help matters. A woman standing in the corner of the room triggered another one. Then he flashed again on a man standing by the counter. When that man's companion turned around, Stephen flashed again. The rapid flashing resulted in an immediate headache for Orion, but that wasn't the most disturbing part. All of the flashes had provided him information on the people around him, and it wasn't good information. All of them had military or intelligence backgrounds, and all of them had gotten into some kind of trouble.

Bryce and Jill had been followed here by Fulcrum, and they were now surrounded. Stephen silently cursed himself for temporarily letting his guard down, but there was nothing for it now. He leaned in really close to Chuck's friends, and began to whisper instructions.

"Everyone around us is Fulcrum. I can't tell you how I know that, and it's safer that you don't know, but I _do _know. As soon as I stand up, they're going to grab me, so you two have to get out of here. Keep that phone I gave you, and I'll find a way to get instructions to you both. For now, you have to run. You'll do Charles no good if you get captured or killed, and you're not ready for this type of operation on your own. So go! Run! Wait for my instructions," he finished, waiving his hand as if to instruct Bryce and Jill to go now.

They did as they were told, and slowly, the two younger parties of the meeting were walking as casually as possible out of the café, leaving Orion behind.

Just as Chuck's father had predicted, once he stood up, he was rushed and surrounded. There was no way out of this, for now. He knew what his absence from the meeting with Graham would mean for Charles, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Orion would go along with these Fulcrum lackeys, and if nothing else, try to keep them from knowing about the existence of who would become the Human Intersect: Chuck.

**/\/\/\/\/\

* * *

  
\/\/\/\/\/**

Finally, the door to the conference room swung open, and the imposing figure of Langston Graham entered carrying with him a manila folder. Without a word, the large man walked over to the head of the table and took a seat. Studying through the file in his hand, he left the conference room in the same awkward silence it had been in before his entrance. Now, however, there was something else within the atmosphere of room 12-B: intimidation.

Of course, it was typical of a man with Graham's position and presence to do that to most rooms he entered.

"So, um, Mr. Graham," Chuck began. Seeing the displeased look on the face of the African-American man, and the wince that Sarah gave him, he decided to reword his address. "I mean, Director Graham, sir – um – so what's going to happen now? I mean, I don't want to be a nuisance or anything, but I kind of should get back to school. Classes start back tomorrow, and while I appreciate the hospitality you've shown me, I, well-"

"You will be going back to Stanford this afternoon, Mr. Bartowski," boomed Graham, his deep timbre seeming to reverberate off the walls of the small meeting area. "You will be accompanied by Agent Walker, and she will remain in constant contact with you until you finish this semester. After your commencement, you will return to Langley, where you will undergo further instruction and training, and become a full-time agent."

Sarah looked at the director with a confused expression on her face. How was she going to finish up _her_ final semester if she was busy babysitting Chuck? Graham seemed to catch on to Sarah's unasked question, and elaborated on what was to occur.

"Agent Walker, since you are only taking three credit hours this semester -- and since this assignment is of the utmost importance -- I have been able to work out a deal with the administration at Harvard. You'll be granted a pass in your current class, and will receive your degree. You won't be able to attend your own graduation, but such are the sacrifices of this life. Are there any questions?" Graham asked.

Chuck had many questions. He was a little too intimidated to ask all of them, but if he needed _some_ answers, at least. He was still uncomfortable with the idea of becoming a spy. Well, uncomfortable was an understatement. He was bordering on freaking out over the idea. But he was unsure about what trying to back out now would mean for him. Something told him that the agency wouldn't just let him walk away. Then there were the more personal questions. Maybe that would be a good starting point.

"Um – yeah, just one. Well, a few actually. So what about Bryce? I mean, after what happened, and Sarah said that he was probably involved with some rogue group or something-"

"Agent Larkin has been burned. If he is seen, by you, or by Agent Walker, you are to let us know, and he will be arrested for treason," Graham answered, clearly annoyed by the questioning.

Chuck was a bit dismayed that Bryce's fate had been decided so definitely. He still had his doubts about what was really going on, and who he could really trust. Chuck knew it wouldn't be in his best interest to go to bat for Bryce just yet, but knowing that his roommate was in even more trouble only added to the uneasiness he felt.

"And one more thing," Chuck began nervously. "About Agent Walker…"

"Yes, Mr. Bartowski?" Graham asked.

Chuck thought about what he wanted to say. Should he voice his displeasure about being lied to? Should he tell Graham that he didn't fully trust the young blonde? Other than the lies and deception, she had been really nice to him since they'd met. Unless, of course, that was part of the deception too; he didn't even want to begin to delve into that paradoxical line of thinking. Sarah seemed like a nice enough person, and he didn't want to get her in trouble with her boss. He decided it would probably be best if he kept his doubts about her to himself. He quickly thought of something to say that he thought would cover for her, and for his yet unasked question.

"Um – what should I tell my sister about what's going on?" Chuck asked.

The question obviously annoyed Graham even more.

"Agent Walker will work out your cover. If you'll sign these forms," Graham said, sliding a stack of papers to Chuck, "we have a short training video for you to watch, and then you'll be dismissed."

Without another word, Graham got up to leave the conference. When he exited the room, he placed a call to his head engineer.

"Boot up the Intersect computer. Our subject will be with you momentarily."

* * *

_A/N: Thank you again for reading my stuff. I know it can be a struggle at times, hehe. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	9. The New Arrangement

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Chuck or Dollhouse. Not that Dollhouse is referenced in anyway in this chapter, but the season two premiere is tonight, so I thought I'd throw that in there for good measure. _

_**A/N: **__Okay, this chapter was originally going to be a bit longer. There was to be an update on both of the "B" stories, but then the University of South Carolina beat the number 4 ranked Ole Miss Rebels in college football while I was in attendance, and I had to go out and celebrate the Gamecock victory. So for one night, I forgot that I wasn't 21 anymore, and this morning, I had the hangover to show for it, so no more writing was done. Sorry. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter anyway. The wonderful __**MXPW **__approved this chapter, and said it was good, so hopefully you'll agree. Thanks to him for his input. I edited it up a bit, but I'm still hungover, so there could easily still be some mistakes herein. Hopefully it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of this chapter. Thank you so much for reading, and please review. Thanks!

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**Chapter 9: The New Arrangement**

"You couldn't come up with something that made me look like less of a jerk?" Chuck asked.

The first hour of the flight, Chuck had found himself alone as Sarah set up the details of their cover. When everything was in order, she began laying it all out for him. Chuck wasn't impressed.

"Why does this make you look like a jerk? You were betrayed by your best friend, and now you can't stand to live in the same room that he once inhabited. I think you're the sympathetic figure," Sarah answered. She really didn't see why Chuck was being so difficult. The cover she had set up was rock solid.

"Well, yeah, that part makes sense. But the part about you and me? The part where we're already in a committed relationship? How does that _not_ make me look like a jerk? Shouldn't I be a little upset about losing Jill to Bryce?" Chuck asked. In fact, he was very upset about losing Jill to Bryce. That part of the cover Sarah had set up was far too close to the truth for his comfort.

Sarah had decided that when Chuck returned to campus, he was to tell everyone that he'd discovered that Jill and Bryce had been involved with one another for some time. Hurt from the betrayal, he would be able to move out of the fraternity house where he had shared a room with Bryce without many questions. He was to move into an apartment off campus, where he would meet his new "neighbor", Sarah Walker. They would immediately begin to see one another, and the time that Chuck would have to spend with Sarah would be accounted for with anyone watching.

"Well don't you want to move on, Chuck?" Sarah asked. "Am I not good enough for you to move on with?" she added. She wasn't sure if she was trying to guilt him into just going along with the plan, or if she was asking him these questions for a more personal reason. Would she really be hurt if Chuck didn't consider her to be an adequate partner?

"No!" Chuck exclaims. "I mean, yes – well no – I mean, of course you're good enough. You're amazing." Chuck caught the small smile the formed on his companion's face, but he ignored it and continued. "I'm just not the type of guy that has a lot of girls. It might not be believable that I would move on from Jill so quick, and even more so that I would find someone like you," he said, hoping to appeal to the logical side of his new bodyguard.

"What do you mean someone like me?" Sarah challenged. She knew he meant it in a positive way, but her insecurity caused her to want confirmation.

"Sarah, come on," Chuck implored her. Sarah wasn't budging, however. "Fine, whatever," Chuck huffed. "You know you're freaking gorgeous and smart, and from what I've been able to tell, you're a lot of fun to be around. And most of all, you're completely out of my league. Not that Jill wasn't out of my league, but still."

Chuck really believed what he has told her. Sarah seemed to be the catch of a lifetime, and she wanted him to pretend to be in a relationship with her? That just wasn't fair.

Sarah didn't think that she was out of Chuck's league at all. Oh, she knew that she was pretty, on the outside at least. That was a lot different than her high school days; but the ugliness that was Jenny Burton still lived within her. If Sarah had it her way, Chuck would never find out about that girl. He'd never find out anything real about her. So instead of assuaging his self doubt, Sarah decided to give it credence, to a degree. It was the only way she saw to protect herself from admitting something personal.

"Maybe you're one of those guys," Sarah said, shrugging.

"What guys?" Chuck's voice had dropped to a low, potentially angry tone. He knew exactly what guys Sarah was talking about. The guys that are nothing, but somehow end up with the "it" girls. There were times that he thought of himself in that light when he was with Jill, but Jill had never said anything about it. It was one thing to be self-depreciating, but to have it acknowledged was taking it to another level that he didn't appreciate.

"You know. Those guys…" Sarah knew that Chuck knew what she was talking about. She didn't mean it. She didn't think that he was one of "those guys" at all. He seemed to be a great guy. He was cute, funny, smart, and humble. Any girl would have been lucky to have him. But she was in self protection mode, and he was standing in the way.

"I hate those guys," Chuck mumbled.

"Fine, take it however you want, Chuck, but this is my op, and my rules." Sarah turned from facing Chuck, to sitting back in her seat as if to signify that the argument was over. And to her, it was. She should have known, she realized, that Chuck wouldn't let it go that easily.

"This is my life!" Chuck exclaimed. He was coming to regret his decision to join the Agency more with every passing second. Not that he'd made the choice with a clear head in the beginning anyway. Everything about his recruitment still had his head spinning. To top it all off, Chuck had had enough pretending over the past few months to last a lifetime. He'd been pretending that everything with Jill was going well, when nothing could have been further from the truth.

"I don't care," Sarah said, crossing her arms and sticking her chin out in defiance. "I get to make the rules, and I say that when we get back to Palo Alto, you're my boyfriend, and I'm your girlfriend."

She'd never admit this, even under torture, but the idea of having Chuck as a boyfriend, even if it was just a cover, excited Sarah a little. She'd never had any type of social life. Her childhood was far from the ideal environment in which to develop connections, and she'd carried that sense of needing to keep her distance from people with her when she went to college. And while she'd managed to have a couple of flings during her time at Harvard, she'd never had an actual boyfriend. If Chuck would just loosen up about the whole thing, it might even be fun.

Chuck realized that Sarah wasn't going to budge on her position. He thought that perhaps introducing a few alternatives to Sarah's plan might help his cause.

"Wouldn't it make more sense if you were, I don't know, my cousin or something?" Chuck asked. It was the best he could come up with at the moment, and it wasn't a very good plan at all, but he had to provide something.

"You want people to think that you're doing it with your cousin?" Sarah asked in reply. She arched her eyebrow, seemingly daring Chuck to debate her further on the issue. Being Chuck's cousin would completely destroy her plans of winning his favor. For the job, of course.

"What?! No! Wait! Why do we have to do it?"

Sarah laughed. "We don't actually have to sleep together, Chuck. But people need to think that we are, and if we tell them that I'm your cousin, that could get a little awkward."

She could see he wasn't going to give up his argument.

"Listen, Chuck. For now, I'm just here to make sure that those secrets they put in your head stay there, and that you stay safe. But once we're out in the field, we're going to have to play a lot of different roles, the most prominent being that of a couple. So look at this time as early training. Or, you know, whatever. Look at however you want, but this is what has to be done."

* * *

**Once they arrived...  
**

Despite his initial reluctance to use CIA resources to help with the move from the fraternity house to his new off-campus apartment, Chuck had to begrudgingly admit that the "movers" had made things very easy. Once he had all of his things boxed up, everything was taken for him immediately over to his new place, and by the time he arrived there, everything was already set up for him to live there.

Saying goodbye to all of his friends had been hard, but when Chuck told them the story of what had happened, or more accurately, the lie he'd been forced to tell them about what happened, they'd all understood why he needed to move. The brothers of Gamma-Delta-Phi had, of course, wanted to throw a "Moving On/Moving Out" party in Chuck's honor, but he'd talked them out of it, for the time being. It wasn't that he was so much opposed to the idea, as much as he just didn't want another event in his life that his "handler" would try to force her way into.

Chuck knew that Sarah would insist on attending any such event, and he really didn't need to hear about how great his new "girlfriend" was from all of his friends. He didn't want to have to lie to them even more than he already had.

The first night in his new digs went much better than he had hoped for. The apartment, first of all, was far nicer than anything he'd expected. The spacious two bed, one and a half bath flat was much more than he needed. Chuck was almost embarrassed by how sparse his collection of belongings looked in his new abode. Sarah had offered to go shopping with him later in the week to pick up some new stuff to hopefully make it feel more like a home, which he appreciated.

And honestly, Chuck had been surprised with how pleasant his new "neighbor" had been since their arrival. He still wasn't thrilled with their current setup, but at least she was accommodating him in some ways. Sarah offered to come over and prepare dinner, which was surprisingly good. It wasn't quite on the level of a meal made by the expert hands of his sister, Ellie, but it was much better than he'd been afraid it might be. Something about Sarah just seemed to indicate that cooking wasn't her forte, but it was evidence to Chuck that you can't always judge a book by its cover. Maybe there was something to that, he reasoned. Maybe he was being too hard on his temporary handler, and eventual partner. He wouldn't completely give in to her, and he wouldn't completely trust her just yet, but he would take it into consideration.

Sarah, for her part, could tell that Chuck was impressed by the meal of boneless-skinless chicken breast sautéed with peppers and onions in extra-virgin olive oil. Of course, growing up as the "woman of the house" had acclimated her to having to prepare dinner for two, so she wasn't out of her element at all in the kitchen. Not that she'd ever tell Chuck where she gained her mastery of the culinary arts.

The after-dinner conversation was light, and enjoyable. Sarah was a little disturbed, and at the same time, excited by just how at ease she was made to feel by her charge. Even if Chuck still seemed to be somewhat guarded, he was considerate, funny, and relaxed, three traits Sarah had never really been able to master herself. Everything about the evening had felt so _normal_. Normal had always sounded boring to the blonde before she met Chuck. But now? It was freaking fantastic. The entire night had been a lot of fun, and so…normal.

Before the end of the movie – which neither of them were really watching – Chuck and Sarah fell asleep on the couch, both feeling much better about their respective situations than when the night had begun. The levity their quiet night alone had provided wouldn't last, however. Both Chuck and Sarah would have their sleep interrupted by dreams. Those dreams would shake the foundation of their newly formed bonds.

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_**A/N:**__ Okay, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it. In the next chapter, you'll find out about Chuck and Sarah's respective dreams, and we'll catch up with Orion, and Bryce and Jill. I look forward to your feedback, and you guys are awesome. Peace. _


	10. What Dreams May Come

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. Never have, and I never will. _

_A/N: Okay, so it's time for another College Years chapter. It's been awhile I guess since my last update, but hopefully everyone is still on board. So the end of the last chapter promised some dreams, and that's just what you'll get, haha. I hope it's enjoyable. This chapter is still a little heavy, but fear not. It leads to some comedic situations. I just have to set those up first. Big ups to __**MXPW **__for some awesome insight into this chapter, as well as everything I write, pretty much. You're the best, buddy. Okay, that's all for now, I guess. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review. Thanks!

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**What Dreams May Come**

**Sarah's Dream**

Sarah sat in the parked car looking across the street at a house that looked all too familiar. There was a group of agents that appeared to be making an extraction, or maybe an arrest. For the life of her, she didn't know what she was doing there. Then suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks. It was _her_ house. Those agents were arresting her father. Sarah checked the mirror and sure enough, she was no longer Sarah Walker, the drop-dead gorgeous blonde that the CIA had constructed; she was the awkward, frizzy haired teenager Jenny Burton.

Jenny gasped. She was living the worst day of her life all over again. She watched her father be loaded into the back of a car, and just as she had four years prior, she ran. She ran towards two destinations. The first was easy. She had to retrieve the emergency stash her father had hidden in the forest near their home. The second destination was more difficult, more abstract.

She knew she had to get away, and she had the funds to do just that. But where would she go? What would she do? Her father was her life, and now he would be leaving her all alone. How would she survive on her own? Would she have to start over? Could she?

Then, like an Ark Angel, Agent Langston Graham swooped into her life. He offered an opportunity to start over. He offered her a chance to set things right. And Jenny took the offer. She was now Sarah Walker.

Suddenly, Sarah was transported to another place. This setting wasn't familiar at all. From what she could tell, it was the inside of a detention facility. Looking around, her suspicions were confirmed.

Sarah heard the clanking of metal dragging the concrete floor, and looked up to see a prisoner advancing towards her. The man's legs and arms were shackled, but his face was obscured by the light shining in through the only window in the dark room. Then when he sat down in the chair across from her, Sarah knew exactly who the prisoner was. It was her father.

"Dad?" Sarah gasped.

"Hey, sweetheart. It's good to see you again."

Sarah shot up from her chair and wrapped her arms around her father's neck.

"I've missed you so much, dad," Sarah exclaimed.

"I've missed you too, baby girl. You've been taking care of yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've been doing some really good things. I'm graduating from college soon. You'll never guess where I went."

"Where?" Jack asked, an amused smile on his face.

"I went to Harvard!" Sarah answered.

"Like the real Harvard? Damn, I guess your old man didn't screw you up so bad after all," he said with a laugh.

"No, daddy, you did good. I was on the Dean's List every semester. It was hard, but I made it through."

"So I guess you won't have to live a life of pulling cons, then. You can do anything you want," her father said, a sad smile on his face. "So, have you decided what it is that you want?"

"Um – I have, but we don't have to talk about that," Sarah answered. She wasn't about to out herself to her father as a CIA agent.

"Darling, this is your dream. You can tell me anything you want, no worries."

Sarah suddenly took stock of her situation. Her father was right. This was most certainly a dream. She was both relieved and disappointed in that revelation. It opened the door for her to be more honest with her father, but she regretted that she wasn't really speaking with him.

"Okay, dad. I'm working for the CIA. I love it. They're the reason I got to go to Harvard, and now that I'm done, I have a promising career that's going to let me travel the world, and really make a difference," Sarah said proudly.

"Okay, that's what your job is, but what do you want from life?" Jack asked.

"What do you mean? I want to be an agent; I want to be the _best_ agent. I want to protect the sovereignty of the nation, and stuff."

"And that's all you want?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"What else _would _I want?" Sarah asked confused.

"What about that boy?"

"What boy?" Sarah asked.

"The one right next to you," Jack answered. And as soon as Sarah turned her head, to her surprise, Chuck was sitting right next to her. He wasn't saying anything, but he was wearing that big, beautiful smile that Sarah had seen from him before, but not often enough. It was his real smile.

"Chuck?" Sarah asked, seemingly surprised. "What makes you think I want Chuck? And what do you think I want from him?"

"You're not fooling me," Jack supplies flippantly.

"I'm not trying to fool you. Chuck is a part of my assignment. And he's the key to advancing my career. That's all," Sarah says, sticking her chin out defiantly.

"Sarah, honey, I know how tough things were for you growing up. I wasn't always a great father, and you never knew what it was like to have a real family. But you've seen something in this boy. You can deny it 'til you're blue in the face, but that doesn't change the reality of the situation. Remember who you're talking to. I can read people, darling, even you. It's my only real talent," he says wistfully.

"So," Sarah begins guardedly. "What is it that you think I want from Chuck?"

"S'hard to say. Well, it's really not, I guess. You see something you want that he can give you. Something you've never had. What is it I always told you about the things that you want?" Jack asked.

"If I want something, I have to be prepared to take it?" It was more a recitation of one of her father's many lines than a question.

"That's it. So are you going to take it?" he asked.

"I don't know how," Sarah admitted. "What do I do?"

"This is _your_ dream, Sarah. I can't tell you anything you don't know. I'll just say this. You want this boy, right?" Sarah nodded shyly in reply. She couldn't lie to her dad, even in her dreams. "If you want it, you have to make it happen, darling."

Sarah awoke with a start. She quickly looked around to find herself in Chuck's apartment, on Chuck's couch, sleeping next to Chuck. She didn't remember falling asleep, but she was happy that she'd done so in her current position: next to Chuck with his arm draped around her. Very carefully, as not to wake her sleeping-buddy, she burrowed deeper into his embrace. Her dad, or more accurately her dad in her dream, was right. If she wanted this to happen, and she now admitted to herself that she did, she would have to _make_ it happen. She wouldn't let Chuck get away. She wouldn't let another man that she cared about leave her without her having a say.

* * *

**Orion's greatest creation**

The Intersect Cube. It was Stephen Bartowski's greatest creation, and somehow, Fulcrum had gotten their hands on it. Orion wasn't sure just how that had happened, but he was grateful. It was, after all, the key to his plan working out for everyone involved. Well, everyone except for Fulcrum.

While the rogue faction knew that this device was powerful, and that it could do things that no other Intersect computer in the past was capable of, they were too small-minded to grasp the full implications of the power it held. They were too focused on the fringe benefits – allowing anyone to upload the Intersect – to fully understand what could be done with the cube. Under the right direction – and Stephen knew that he was that direction – the Intersect cube could allow for multiple thought processes to be put to use. Not only would a person who housed the information be able to recall intel from the Intersect database, but they could actually gain skills and abilities through the source programming, if the programmer were so inclined to include such things.

But that wasn't Stephen's intentions. He could give a damn about allowing an untrained agent the abilities of the top spies in the game. He was much more interested in the upload reversal abilities of his creation. The life of his son might well rest on those very abilities.

So when Stephen was brought to a secret room on the campus of his old nemesis, Ted Roark's software company to finish up the work on the cube, he immediately began source programming that could remove whatever horrors had no doubt been uploaded into Charles's head. The true genius in the plan was that no one in Fulcrum, or hell, no one in the world for that matter, would know what Orion was truly planning.

When he was finished with the source programming, he would steal the cube back, he'd contact the two young confidants he'd met with in Washington, and he'd set out on a mission to get Charles free of the infernal Intersect, forever. CIA be damned. That organization had destroyed Stephen's life, and the lives of his family enough as it was. He wouldn't allow another generation of Bartowskis to have their future torn away by those bastards.

For now, however, Charles was safe. Stephen knew that Langston had no doubt set that little blonde girl as his son's protection, and from what he'd seen back in Mexico, the girl had a thing for his son. She'd give her life to protect him. That was a good thing. Orion could give a damn about the life of that young agent, but Charles would need someone to have his back until the plan could come to fruition. When it did, that Agent Walker would no longer be of use, and Stephen would gladly discard her in order to keep his son safe, and free of the perils of the covert world.

* * *

**Chuck's dream**

Chuck suddenly found himself in a dark alley in a strange town. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten there, or even where _there_ was. All he knew is that he was running from something, from someone.

"Chuck!" cried a feminine voice from the other end of the alley.

He turned to look at the source of the call and standing in the shadows of a building was Sarah Walker. Her blonde hair flowed freely around her face. She was dressed in a black t-shirt, and form fitting jeans. She looked stunning, just as she always seemed to.

"Chuck," she repeated. "You need to come with me. I'll protect you."

Hesitantly, Chuck began to answer her siren's call. Her voice was so melodic, her appearance angelic in nature. How could he doubt her? But somehow he did. Somehow he knew that she was there for something else, something more sinister than helping him. But still he was walking towards her.

Just as Chuck reached the end of the alleyway, Sarah reached her hand out to him. She bit down on her bottom lip in that adorable way she did sometimes when she felt shy…or when she was pretending to be shy. Chuck could never tell which it was with her. He reached out his own hand, but just before their hands touched, Chuck felt something pull him from behind.

Chuck turned around sharply to see what, or who, had grabbed him, and there stood Jill. Jill's face was a picture of panic and worry.

"You can't trust her, Chuck. Please?" Jill begged.

"What? Why not?" Chuck asked.

"There's not enough time!" Jill exclaimed. "I'll explain it later, but you need to come with me."

Chuck looked back and forth between the two women. Both had expressions of concern on their faces. He didn't know who he should go with. He'd known Jill longer, to be sure, but she'd already lied to him so much. He loved her, he thought, but what was really her game plan? What did she want with him? Was she after the secrets in his head? For some reason, Chuck didn't think so.

Then, looking at Sarah, he noticed that her expression seemed somehow less sincere than Jill's. Sarah looked concerned, to be sure, but then, what did Chuck really know about Sarah? She hadn't told him one true thing about her yet. Everything with her seemed to be a lie, or a cover, or an outright refusal to talk about her past.

It was the classic situation of the devil you know, against the devil you don't know. Which should he choose?

"I don't know! I don't want to choose," Chuck cried out honestly.

"Apathy is death, Chuck," Sarah said coldly. She then produced a gun, from somewhere, and aimed it directly at Chuck's head. He swallowed nervously as he waited for the blonde to open fire.

But before any shots could be fired, Chuck felt his arm being pulled again from behind. Jill yanked him behind her as she began to flee. Chuck had no option but to follow her, or be dragged to the ground.

Chuck and Jill ran as fast as they could, but no matter how fast they ran, Sarah seemed to be gaining ground behind them, despite the fact that the CIA agent wasn't even running. She was walking deliberately, but matched every hurried step Chuck and Jill made, the pursuer with her gun still at the ready.

Then they reached the end of the alley. A seemingly endless brick wall was in front of them, and they had nowhere else to run. Chuck and Jill turned to face their attacker, only to see the gun in her hand discharge. Chuck ducked away, hiding his eyes from the shot he knew was coming for him. But he felt no pain. Instead, Chuck felt the woman beside him crumple to the ground.

"Jill?" Chuck asked worriedly. "Jill, are you alright?"

"No," Jill said weakly. "I have to go, Chuck. But you have to run. You can't trust her. She's only here to manipulate you. Please, don't trust her. I love you," Jill said, her voice barely above a whisper at that point.

"I love you, too, Jill," Chuck said, tears now streaming down his face, as he felt the woman in his arms pass away within his embrace.

"You killed her!" Chuck roared, directing a murderous glare towards the blonde woman.

"You need to come with me, Chuck," Sarah said, ignoring his accusation. Her gun was still out, and seemed ready to fire if he disobeyed her.

"I can't leave her! I love her!" Chuck said, his voice still full of emotion.

"So be it," Sarah said mechanically. She lifted her gun once more and pointed the barrel at Chuck's head. He saw her finger start to tighten around the trigger, and he closed his eyes. He heard another shot fired, and then, there was nothing.

Chuck shot awake, sweating heavily, his breathing labored. He took in his surroundings. He was in his new apartment. On his couch. And snuggled against his side was…the monster from his nightmare. She looked so peaceful, so innocent lying is his arms. But if Jill from his dream was right, it was all part of the plan. It was all a part of manipulating him to her will. Was Jill right? Was his dream right? He was careful not to stir anymore than necessary. He didn't want to wake the sleeping assassin. His situation was something he'd have to think about, but not yet. Not now. For now, he just needed to find a way to survive.

* * *

_A/N: Alright folks, that's all for now. Like I said, this one was still a little heavy, but now, Sarah wants Chuck and is prepared to do whatever she can to get him. Chuck is terrified of what Sarah really is, and what she may do. They both suck at communication, of course, so I'm sure you can guess at just what is ahead of our two heroes. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and I really look forward to your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	11. Try Again Again

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck Norris, Chuck Foreman, Chuck Liddell, Chuck Taylor, Chuck Noll, Chuck Berry, Chuck Connors…and I certainly don't own Chuck Bartowski, nor the show "Chuck". _

_A/N: So in act two of today's Wepdiggy triple feature, we have chapter 11 of Chuck the College Years. This chapter is meant to read like a montage of misadventures between Chuck and Sarah once they arrive at Stanford. A big, big thank you to __**MXPW **__for some awesome feedback, and ideas on this chapter. Without you, I would have been short one scene, and lost of direction. You really came through again, like always. Take a minute, if you will please to go read and review his fic, __**Chuck vs. The Double Agent**__. It's an excellent story, and I really think you'll find it worth your time to read it, and tell him how awesome it is. _

_Also, I, like many of the authors here at Fan Fiction am participating in Fated Love's "Who Are You Challenge". The basic premise is that we have all written one-shots, or short stories that will not be labeled as to who has written them. They'll all be posted under the Who Are You penname. If you are an author with at least two published fics, I strongly encourage you to take part in this challenge, as it should be a lot of fun. If you're not an author, I encourage you to check out these fics when they're posted, and try to guess "Who We Are". Okay, that's about it for now. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review. Thanks!

* * *

_

**Chapter 11: Try Again, Again**

**The Intruder**

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Sarah heard that once, on television or something. Of course, that's not what her CIA training taught her, but then, seduction training wasn't based around winning the heart of someone. It was focused far more on other parts of the human anatomy. Not that Sarah didn't want that too, but that could wait. She wanted Chuck to love her first…then he could _love_ her.

So following the advice of that television program she'd seen years prior, Sarah prepared a nice picnic lunch for her pseudo-boyfriend, packed it up, checked to make sure her makeup and hair were perfect, and headed out to campus to surprise him with a meal fit for a king. At least, for a king that really liked sandwiches, and finger foods.

She arrived on campus and waited outside the psychology building, were Chuck should have been coming out any minute. The admiring glances she received from passer-bys – male, and some female – gave Sarah a confidence that today would be the day that Chuck would see just how much she had to offer. He would be hers.

The agent checked her watch for the tenth time since arriving at her current position, and confirmed once again that Chuck was running a few minutes behind schedule. She silently cursed the professor that was keeping him late. Of course, it could be another student that was distracting him from being where he should be by now. Maybe someone needed help with something in the class. Chuck was always trying to help people, and it wouldn't shock Sarah if that's just what he was doing right now. That thought warmed her heart a little. Chuck was such a good person.

Then a more sinister thought popped into her head. The "other student" that Chuck might be caught up with could be another girl. Some hussy could be chatting up the man that was supposed to be Sarah's right now. She could just see the two-bit skank now. She was no doubt brunette, just like Jill. Probably a Jill look-alike. And she was flirting with Chuck, and he was flirting right back, oblivious to the advances the other woman was making on him. Or maybe not so oblivious. Maybe Chuck _wanted_ someone else.

Of course, it could be none of those things. It could be an enemy operative that was keeping Chuck. Chuck could be in danger. As his handler, Sarah couldn't have that. She had to go check on him. After all, keeping him safe and out of trouble was her mission. She was just being professional in checking up on him, right?

Sarah rose from the bench she'd been seated on for at least seven minutes, and began to make her way over to the building that Chuck should have come out of, at least five whole minutes ago.

Just as she got to the doors, Chuck came strolling out, causing Sarah to breathe a sigh of relief. That is, until she saw Chuck, seemingly oblivious to Sarah's presence turn and begin to talk with someone behind him. A woman. A brunette woman that looked remarkably like Jill. Sarah's blood began to boil. Her worst fears had come to fruition. _Your worst fears are that Chuck will talk to another woman, not that he will be captured by some enemy agent?_

Sarah ordered her mind to shut up. She didn't need its crap right now. Chuck was talking to, and seemed to be interested in another woman. And they had a cover to keep up after all. He couldn't just go flirting around, talking to every broad he ran into.

"A-hem," Sarah cleared her throat to get the attention of the pair.

"Oh, Sarah, what a surprise," Chuck said with a strained voice.

"Yeah, I see that. So who's your little friend here?" Sarah asked, doing her best to hide the anger in her voice, and failing.

"Hi Sarah, I'm Jenny," answered the brunette with a sweet smile. A smile that made Sarah want to gag.

"Right, Jenny. Well, Jenny, I'm Chuck's _girlfriend _Sarah." Murder was in the eyes of the blonde.

"Right," Jenny said quietly.

"You know, I knew a Jenny once," Sarah said tersely.

"Oh yeah, you never told me about that," Chuck said, trying to make the conversation a little less awkward.

"No, I should think not. She was a terrible person, and now she's dead," Sarah said coldly. She put extra emphasis on the word "dead" and made sure to look this Jenny straight in the eye as she said it.

"Anyway, _Jenny_, I was here to bring my boyfriend lunch. Tell me how it is that you know Chuck, who is my _boyfriend_," Sarah demanded, her voice losing none of its steel.

"Um, we met freshman year, right Chuck?" Jenny asked nervously. Sarah took a small bit of satisfaction in the discomfort she was causing this freshman year floozy.

"Right," Chuck answered quickly. "We've known each other a long time. Since freshman year," he finished lamely.

"Well, that's nice. I'm always happy to meet Chuck's friends," Sarah said. She didn't actually _sound_ happy at all, and she wasn't.

An awkward silence fell over the three collected, until finally Sarah spoke up again.

"Well, _sweetie_, we should probably get going. I packed a big lunch for you, and I'd hate for you to not have time to enjoy it," said Sarah, a big fake smile on her face now.

"No, we wouldn't want that," Chuck said weakly. "We'll see you later, Jen," Chuck said before being pulled away suddenly.

When they were out of earshot of the brunette, and everyone else, Sarah spoke again.

"What the hell was _that _Chuck?"

"What?" Chuck asked.

"Jenny home-wrecker back there? How long have you had something going on with her? And why didn't you tell me about it?" Sarah refused to look at Chuck as she talked, but he could tell by the strain in her voice just how upset she was.

"Going on? Sarah, we're just friends!" he defended.

"I saw the way she was looking at you. That didn't look like just friends to me," Sarah said angrily.

"Well, that's all we are, I promise." He didn't know why Sarah was acting like this. Was she jealous? No, that couldn't be it. It probably had something to do with that manipulation thing. No doubt the blonde didn't want anyone screwing with her ability to control him.

"Well," Sarah started strongly, searching for something poignant to say to continue the argument. "I um – I don't think you should hang out with her anymore. We have a cover to protect after all." Sarah smiled inwardly. She knew Chuck wouldn't have a defense for _that_.

Chuck knew he could refute the claims and demands Sarah was making. She had no right to just come in and completely take over his life. But he didn't feel like having that argument at the moment, in the middle of campus, with a trained assassin. And furthermore, he _was _hungry, and Sarah had proven to him already that she could be a whiz in the kitchen.

"So what did you bring to eat?" Chuck asked, changing the subject.

Sarah brightened at the mention of their impromptu lunch date. Maybe there was something to this theory of a way to man's heart.

* * *

**Moving In**

_If you want it, you have to make it happen, darling._

Her father's words from her dream echo in Sarah's head. She wants Chuck. And she doesn't just want part of him. She doesn't want something as superficial as just sex. She wants the whole package. A real relationship. It's the most alluring thing about her partner-to-be. He is so caring, and loving, and _normal_. Sarah wants that for herself, and she will achieve her goal no matter what it takes.

So that's why, after only two weeks on sight in Palo Alto, Sarah suggests moving into Chuck's apartment. He fights the idea at first, as Sarah knew he most probably would. After all, she has to work to get what she wants. She has to be more forceful with the men in her life. Her dad went away because she didn't force him to stay. She's not going to make that same mistake with Chuck.

"I still don't see why it is necessary for us to live in the same apartment," Chuck says, setting down the final box containing Sarah's things.

Despite his reluctance towards the new situation, he has been very helpful in the move. _The perfect gentleman_, Sarah muses.

And he really has been. He's moved all of her stuff over all by himself. Not that Sarah has that much stuff to begin with, but it's a very sweet gesture. Sarah is even sure that she's starting to make some headway with their "relationship".

Throughout the move she's allowed herself to daydream a bit. She's imagined that Chuck is her _real_ boyfriend, and they're moving in together because it's something they both want. Not something that Sarah ordered Chuck to do. They'll spend their first night in their shared apartment making dinner together. Then maybe they'll relax on the couch, and fall asleep together, like they did that first night back in Palo Alto. Then, Chuck will wake her up, sometime after midnight and carry her to their bedroom, where they'll make love for the first time. That thought brings another question to mind for Sarah, and she forces herself out of her daydream to ask it.

"So should I go ahead and start setting up in your bedroom?" Sarah asks, ignoring Chuck's continued complaints.

"I don't think that's necessary. We don't have to keep up this cover around here, right?" Chuck is uncomfortable with the idea of living with Sarah to begin with. Having to share a bed with her just seems to be way over the line.

He's done everything he can over the past couple of weeks to create some sort of distance between himself and his handler, but she doesn't seem to want to take a hint. Every time he pushes her away, she comes back twice as strong as before. But he reminds himself that he _has_ to keep trying to keep his distance. Sarah just wants to manipulate him, just like Jill said in his dream.

And then there's Jill. Despite everything that happened, she is still technically his girlfriend. Even if he wasn't sure that Sarah was trying to manipulate him, Chuck couldn't do anything with her anyway. That would be cheating technically, right?

"And what if your friends, or even your sister were to come visit us? It wouldn't look right if all of my stuff was in the other bedroom, now would it? We have to sell this, Chuck," Sarah says, adopting her "professional" tone in hopes of dismissing any further argument.

"Okay, yeah, I get that. That makes sense, I guess," Chuck says. Sarah smiles inwardly at her apparent victory in the situation, but her glee is quickly cut shot when he continues. "But still, I mean, we don't have to sleep in the same bed or anything, right? I mean, we can just set the other bedroom to look like a guest bedroom, and you can sleep in there, right?"

"Well, I mean, I guess, but if we have overnight guests, we should probably have practice sleeping together before hand, right?" Sarah asks in reply. She knows she's grasping at straws at this point, but she really needs Chuck to just give in.

"Sarah," Chuck says with a sigh. "I think we'll be fine, should that very unlikely scenario ever occur." He shuts the door to his bedroom and leaves Sarah alone with her boxes. Shut down once again. But she will win yet. Sarah Walker isn't a quitter.

* * *

**The Cover Date**

While perusing Amazon earlier that day, Sarah discovered that there were hundreds upon hundreds of books about relationships. She couldn't for the life of her understand why. Relationships seemed to be pretty easy to her. It was getting into them that was difficult. The actual going on dates, and hanging out seemed like the payoff. That was the fun part.

She'd spent hours getting ready for the date. She wanted her hair and makeup to be just right. Not overdone, but nice. She'd gone through everything in her wardrobe and decided nothing was just right, so she'd gone out to by a new outfit for the evening. Nice, flattering, but casual. She didn't want to look like she was trying _too_ hard, after all. She was even wearing her special under garments. You know, just in case.

They'd caught an early movie, which Sarah didn't remember a thing about. She'd spent the entirety of the film snuggled against Chuck with her head on his shoulder. To "protect the cover", of course.

After the movie, they'd walked across town to nice, but not too formal restaurant that Sarah had picked out earlier in the week for the night's cover date experience.

And Sarah had had a blast on this, the first official cover-date between her and Chuck. She'd had so much fun, in fact, that it had taken her until almost the end of the night to realize that something was off about Chuck.

She sighed softly. She really didn't want to ruin the night of fun with heavy talks about feelings, but it seemed like the girlfriend thing to do, and maybe it would start to make Chuck more open to the idea that what they had could be real.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing," Chuck mumbled, taking another sip of his drink. He didn't want to talk about it, and really it was none of Sarah's business, in his opinion.

"Chuck," Sarah said warningly.

"You don't want to hear about it, I'm sure," Chuck said, still putting her off.

"No, I do," Sarah lied. "Are you not having a good time? Would you have rather gone somewhere else? I don't know a lot about the area, but this place came highly recommended."

"By who?" Chuck asked. "The 'CIA Guide to Exquisite Cover Dates'?" Chuck laughed mirthlessly.

Sarah was brought down a little by the use of the word "cover" in Chuck's quip. Sure, it _was_ a cover date, but it didn't have to be. Not if he didn't want it to be.

"No, I asked around. I don't have a lot to do while you're in class, Chuck," Sarah explained, hoping her date's dour mood would brighten.

"I'm sorry I make your life so boring," Chuck answered plainly.

No, that's not where she wanted the conversation to go. Not at all. She adored spending time with Chuck. If his time in class was a problem to her, it was only because she would prefer him to be back at the apartment with her.

"That's not what I meant. I'm just saying, maybe we should do stuff like this more often," she said with a smile, hoping he would realize that this really was the type of thing she wanted.

"I don't know, Sarah. How often do we have to do these things? I mean, I appreciate the agency picking up the tab and all, but I'm sure I could use this time more constructively. I haven't even been over the report for today yet."

Every day, Chuck was sent a package of intelligence reports he had to go over as exercise for field operations, and to make sure the Intersect in his head was functioning properly. The majority of the data that required Intersect feedback was fed into the main computer back at Langley, but it wouldn't always be that way if brain-trust for Project Omaha had anything to say about it.

That said, Sarah didn't want Chuck thinking about work. She wanted him to be thinking about her, and only her. She'd never been on a proper date before, and dammit, she wanted to enjoy the experience.

"You don't have to go through those tonight Chuck. I'll help you with it tomorrow, and we can get two done," she said hopefully.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that you had an Intersect in you head too, so yeah, that makes sense. We'll breeze right through them. Thanks, Sarah. You're such a big help."

Sarah was accustomed to Chuck sometimes being a little aloof with her, but he wasn't generally so mean about it. Something was definitely up, and she intended to get to the bottom of it.

"Seriously, Chuck. What's wrong? You're not acting like yourself," she said in a soothing voice.

"It's this place," Chuck said, looking down at the table. He sighed deeply before continuing. "This is where Jill and I went on our first date."

_Jill_. Damn, Sarah never thought she'd have to hear that name again. Well, she'd at least hoped that she'd never have to hear that name again. Chuck's ex was not someone she wanted to spend a lot of time thinking about. That woman had been horrible to Chuck when they were together. Not to mention she'd stood by and watched as Bryce prepared to shoot Sarah back in Mexico. And even after all of that, Chuck still seemed to be hung up on Jill.

"Chuck, Jill is in the past," she said, placing her hand on top of his for support. "You need to move on. Just think about all the terrible things she put you through."

"But you weren't there for the good times, Sarah. And we had plenty of them. I love Jill," he said, and Sarah's heart sunk. "Well, I mean, I did love her. But maybe I still do. I don't know. I'm just so damned confused right now."

An uncomfortable silence grew between the two, both unsure what to say to make the situation a little less awkward. Chuck, despite his reluctance to getting involved with Sarah hated to see her, or anyone for that matter, look so upset. He decided to extend at least a little bit of an olive branch in hopes of making things at least a little better between them.

"Sarah, I'm sorry about the way I'm acting. It's just hard for me, ya know?" he said.

"It's okay, Chuck," Sarah said. She wasn't sure at all that she meant it. "I get that this isn't easy for you, with Jill and everything. We can go back to the apartment if you want."

And so they did. Sarah was disappointed, to say the least, that her first real date, even if it was just a cover date, had ended in such a disaster. She'd had really high hopes for the night. She'd wanted to show Chuck that she could be a real girlfriend. That she could do normal couple things. That she could _be_normal. And she wanted to show herself that she could do all of those things too.

But that would have to wait until another night. Hopefully Chuck's memory of Jill, and the pain that accompanied it, would fade with time. But even if it didn't, Sarah wasn't going to give up on her personal mission. And maybe she had made a little headway that night. Chuck's apology was certainly a step in the right direction. Maybe he was starting to feel at least _something_ for her.

Sarah decided that was exactly what the apology meant. He needed time, but Chuck would be hers, eventually. She just had to be patient.

* * *

**Thank You for Explaining **

After she moved in, Sarah banned Chuck from gaming in the living room. She said it made things too cluttered. That was, of course, a lie. Sarah thought at the time that making Chuck isolate himself in his bedroom when he insisted on playing games would cause him to spend less time with his X-Box, and more time with her. She was sadly mistaken.

And so Chuck is sitting in his room at his designated "gaming station" during Sarah's next attempt at capturing his interest. Chuck has been playing _Knights of the Old Republic _since he got the game several weeks ago, and her roommate's interest in that game instead of her has finally forced Sarah to try to win his favor again.

This time, she decides a little skin might help the situation. Checking herself in the mirror, Sarah decides she's good to go for this "mission". She squeezes and lifts her breasts once more, takes a deep breath, and leaves the bathroom, clad only in bra and panties.

They're not her most revealing undergarments, but she is sure that if she were to actually wear her more revealing "seduction gear", Chuck would pick up on her intentions immediately. She needs for him to think what she's doing isn't malevolent in the least. She's just a girl, strolling casually through the apartment that she shares with the guy she secretly wants to jump, in her underwear.

Her first pass by his open door, she knows he doesn't see her. He's too caught up in that stupid game.

The next pass, she's not sure. She tried not to make eye contact with him, as that might give her away.

So before the third pass, she coughs, just loud enough that she's sure it will get his attention, and she walks by again in all of her nearly-naked glory. This time, she _knows_ he saw her. He looked dead at her, and he said nothing. This infuriates Sarah. She doesn't know what the hell Chuck's problem is. She's throwing herself at him, and he's swatting her away like a fly at a barbeque.

Sarah is just about to go in to his room and confront him when she hears him calling her name. Her eyes widen with surprise, and hope. Maybe Chuck _had_ been paying attention when she walked by. Maybe he finally has seen what he can have, and he's interested.

Chuck, for his part, saw Sarah walk past his room. Hell, he saw her on all three of her passes. The first he wrote off as just Sarah being oblivious to his presence and walking around in her underwear as she may be accustomed to doing in her place of residence. The second time, he knew it wasn't an accident, but he still wasn't sure what she was playing at. The third time, even though he still wasn't exactly sure what her angle was, he knew she wanted some kind of attention.

So he calls her into his room, unsure of what he'll even say.

"Yes Chuck?" Sarah responds, walking into his room with a hopeful smile on her face. She just knows that finally, Chuck has decided to give them a shot. He's decided that they can be more than a cover.

Chuck freezes. What is he supposed to say to a beautiful woman - wearing only bra and panties - that he doesn't trust at all? He reasons that the best thing he can say to her is whatever will get her out of the room so that he can think with a clear head, and not have his thoughts influenced by Sarah's stunning, barely covered body.

"Um – Sarah? Could you get me a drink? You know, while you're up?" Chuck asks, doing his best not to look at the gorgeous woman in front of him.

Sarah storms out of the room, trying her best to hide her frustration in front of Chuck, but doing a poor job of it. She goes back into the bathroom to check the mirror once again. She can't find one hair out of place. Her body looks perfect. She can't figure out why, once again, Chuck has turned her away. She almost feels like crying, but she won't. She can't. It would be a sign of weakness, and she can't look weak in front of Chuck, in front of anyone.

* * *

**The Rites of Autumn**

"But I don't even _like_ football," Chuck complained.

"Well, I do, and relationships are about sacrifice," Sarah said defiantly.

"What about cover relationships? Do _they_ involve sacrifice?" Chuck asked.

Sarah bristled at the implication that what they had wasn't real. "Well," she said through gritted teeth. "If we want people to believe that we're a real couple, then we have to behave like a real couple. And that includes taking your girlfriend to a football game, because she likes football."

Chuck rolled his eyes. He had learned over the past month or so that arguing with Sarah was like arguing with a brick wall. Still, he couldn't stop himself from giving it one last effort.

"But we're not even any good. We've won two games this year. And Oregon State is going to beat the shit out of us."

Sarah was coming to the end of her rope with Chuck. She'd tried everything she could think of to make him pay attention to her, without resorting to using her seduction training. That she knew worked. Hell, back in Mexico Chuck had been ready to do anything she wanted. They'd been very, very close to sealing the deal when Jill came back. But that was "spy" Sarah, and she wanted Chuck to want to do those things with the real Sarah. The girl, not the spy.

"Maybe," Sarah said. "I guess if they do, we'll just have to find something else to keep us busy," she added seductively, playfully tousling Chuck's hair. Okay, she wasn't totally above using a bit of her training. After all, nothing else had worked.

Chuck didn't know how to react. Sarah was flirting with him, which was nothing new. She'd been flirty since he knew her, but there was something different about her today. Or maybe there was just something different about how he was looking at her. He couldn't seriously be thinking of pursuing anything with her, could he? He shook that thought from his head. _Manipulation Chuck. Watch yourself, Chuck. _

"Ready to go into the game, babe?" Sarah asked.

"Babe?" Chuck said questioningly.

"What? I thought we should probably start using pet names for one another. I mean I've never…" _had a boyfriend? No, that's too personal. _"I've never used them before," she amended her original thought. "But I was just thinking that it would seem normal, right? Is babe not a good one?"

Chuck chuckled to himself slightly. He wanted to laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of the situation. This beautiful woman who had no doubt had dozens of relationships, and countless men chasing after her was asking _his_ advice about how a boyfriend and girlfriend should behave?

"Well, 'babe' hits too close to home for me," Chuck said.

"Jill?" Sarah asked dejectedly.

"No, not that. It's just that my sister and her boyfriend Doug call each other 'babe'."

"Oh," Sarah said brightening. It wasn't about Jill for once. And Chuck was letting her get a glimpse into his personal life, if just a little. "So how about sweetie?"

"Meh, too sugary," Chuck answered.

"Honey?"

"Makes you sound too old."

"Baby?"

"Kind of porn starish."

"You watch porn?" Sarah asked.

Chuck turned beet red. Dammit, he hadn't meant to say something like that. "Um, once or twice Bryce had it on when I came in the room," he said sheepishly.

"Right," Sarah drawled. She laughed a little to herself over Chuck's embarrassment, but decided to let him off the hook, for now. "How about sugar lump?"

"Really?" Chuck asked, relieved that the conversation had returned to possible pet names.

Sarah thought silently to herself for a moment. Chuck thought the conversation might be over as they neared the gates to the stadium. But then…

"Boo?"

Chuck snorted. Honest to God, he snorted. "We'll talk more about it later. I think this is a conversation that deserves more thought," he said.

Sarah smiled a true, full smile. Chuck wanted to have a real conversation about something that involved _them_. That was definitely a step in the right direction. Maybe this was the day.

After the two teams traded punts, Stanford took the lead on a 49-yard touchdown pass. The small crowd at the game cheered, and in celebration of the score, Sarah grabbed Chuck and pressed a full, hard kiss on his lips.

Chuck's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden outward display of affection. "What was that?" he gasped.

"I don't know," Sarah admitted. "It felt like the right thing to do. Isn't it some kind of tradition to kiss after a touchdown?"

"Not that I know of," Chuck said, none of the surprise leaving his voice.

"Well, maybe it will be _our_ tradition," Sarah said with a smile. She looped her arm around Chuck's, and settled back into her seat, leaving Chuck still dazed from the kiss.

Twice more during the first half, Sarah kissed Chuck. After the third touchdown, he was even expecting it to a degree. He was a little unsettled by the fact that he'd even been looking forward to it some. Stanford went into half-time with a 21-6 lead.

Unfortunately, the Cardinal wouldn't score anymore that afternoon, and there were no more kisses. Stanford lost to Oregon State 31-21 after a huge comeback by the Beavers.

They walked back to their apartment mostly in silence. Chuck was still stunned by the events of the day. Sarah was rather pleased by them. It wasn't until they walked in the door to their home that someone finally spoke.

"I told you we sucked," Chuck said, hanging up his coat in the closet.

"So, it doesn't matter," Sarah said. "We had fun still, right?"

"Sarah about that…"

He was cut off as Sarah pinned him to the wall, pulling the collar of his shirt down to attack his lips with hers.

Chuck struggled against her grasp on him, but she was too strong, too insistent. He didn't know what to do, so he kissed her back. Before he knew what had happened, Sarah's leg had snaked around his, and she'd tripped him to the floor. She was then laying atop him, and it was clear that she wanted it to go further, and Chuck was close to allowing just that. There was a part of him that wanted that too.

But then a thought flashed through his mind. He was taken back to their time in Washington.

"_No one is above question?" he'd asked Sarah._

"_No one," she'd replied._

"_Not even you?" Chuck asked her._

"_Not even me," Sarah answered._

He couldn't trust her. She'd said so herself. He had to end this before it went any further. Gathering all the strength he had, he pushed Sarah aside, and sat up, staring at her with a confused and somewhat angry expression.

Sarah's expression wasn't altogether different. It flashed quickly from lust, to confusion, to hurt, to anger.

"What the _fuck_, Chuck!?" she yelled.

"I was going to ask you the same question!" Chuck replied.

"I thought – I thought, after what happened at the game –"

"But we're back here now. We don't need to keep up the cover anymore, right?" Chuck asked.

"Cover? I didn't think it was about cover," Sarah replied.

"Why did you think it wasn't about cover? Who said that?"

"You – you…I don't understand," Sarah said, the hurt of yet another rejection seeping into her voice.

"I just can't do this, Sarah," Chuck admitted. He didn't sound angry anymore. He sounded defeated.

Sarah looked down to the floor for several seconds, and just as Chuck was about to stand, her eyes met his once again.

"Are you gay?" Sarah asked. It wasn't asked in a joking or facetious manner at all. She was dead serious.

"What? No!" Chuck cried.

"Then – then, do you think I'm ugly?" she asked. Chuck could see tears beginning to well in the eyes of the blonde. He didn't want to hurt her, but then, was he really hurting her? Could he trust that the emotions she was showing him were real? Even if they weren't, he decided, he couldn't just sit by and watch a girl cry. It wasn't in him to do that. Chuck couldn't be that cold.

"Of course you're not ugly, Sarah. You're beautiful. You know that," he said matter-of-factly.

"Do I?" Sarah asked pitifully.

"Well, if you don't, you should," he responded, offering her a hand to help her to her feet. "Come on. Let's get you something to drink."

Sarah couldn't figure out why everything she tried failed. She kept thinking there was something there, and then there wasn't. It wasn't fair. She wanted to cry, but she didn't want to cry in front of Chuck. She wanted to just tell him that she liked him; really liked him, but she didn't know how he'd take it, and she didn't like talking about things like that anyway. Oh, she'd keep trying, but she didn't know how many more rejections she could take before her heart completely broke.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, that's all for now. This was far and away the longest chapter of this fic, and I hope the length didn't turn anyone off, and that it was still easy to stay with me and not get bored. I think I've devised a system now that these updates should be coming every Monday, so look for chapter 12 next Monday. Although, I am considering putting out a mini-chapter later this week to update Bryce and Jill's situation. I'd originally intended to put them in this chapter, but upon further review, adding in the Bryce and Jill scene would have really messed up the flow of the montage of failure that exist. I hope no one is too upset that they'll have to wait for Bryce and Jill, but I promise it is coming. So that's it for now, and thank you so much for taking the time to read my work. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	12. Confrontations

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, nor am I making any profit from writing this. Really I'm not making any profit from anything in my life right now. Unemployment sucks that way._

_A/N: Okay, I'm putting this out a couple of days early. I've been kind of sick, and it's getting worse by the day, so I'm afraid of what condition I might be in if I wait until Monday to try to update. I thought it was just a bad cold at first, but it's not looking that way. Uh-oh. Anyway, yeah, so I hope you enjoy getting this very special Saturday update. I will say that I generally shy away from updating on Saturdays, as it has been said that people don't review on Saturdays. I'm depending on all of you to prove that theory wrong! At least, I'm hoping you'll prove that theory wrong, haha. A big thanks as always to the truly awesome __**MXPW**__, my partner in Sarina crime, for his help and suggestions in this chapter. I say it often, but not often enough, but this story wouldn't be nearly as good without your input, dude. This chapter in particular he helped me see something that was most assuredly missing. Okay, I hope you enjoy it, and please review and prove all the doubters wrong. Thanks!

* * *

_

**Chapter 12: Confrontations**

**No Thanks  
November, 2002  
Palo Alto, CA**

"Hello?" answered a familiar feminine voice.

"Hey sis," Chuck said.

"Chuck? Oh my God? Is something wrong? Tell me you're still coming home for Thanksgiving," Ellie said in her typical big sister freak out tone.

"Well…" Chuck drawled.

"Chuck Bartowski…" Ellie said threateningly.

"Well, it's a good news/bad news situation, Ell," Chuck said. He felt guilty for lying. If his sister knew the truth, it would be all bad news, but he couldn't bear to tell her that. And Ellie would probably be relieved and happy when he told her. She'd never really gotten along with Jill anyway.

"How is it good news that my brother, my only family, won't be joining me for Thanksgiving?" Ellie asked, hurt evident in her voice.

"Well, you know how bad things had gotten between Jill and me?"

"I seem to recall there being some issues," Ellie answered flatly.

"Well, we're not together anymore." At least that piece of information would make Ellie happy.

"You're not?" Ellie said, brightening significantly. "But wait, if you're not with Jill, then why can't you come home?"

"That's just it, Ell. I kind of met someone. It's gotten kind of serious, and she wants me to go with her to meet her family," Chuck said, reciting the cover story that Sarah had arranged for him.

In truth, Chuck was going to DC with Sarah for some CIA testing. They wanted to do a check-up on how the Intersect was affecting him physically, and psychologically. Chuck had done everything he could to get out of going. He'd tried his best to get Sarah to see reason, that all he wanted to do during the holiday was see his family. He'd argued his case vehemently, but much like all of his arguments with Sarah, he'd come up on the losing end. Despite his wishes, he'd be spending the break having science experiments performed on him by uncaring spook doctors and lab technicians. _The greater good, indeed._

"What's her name?" Ellie asked. Then. "And why is this the first I've heard about this? You're getting 'serious' with someone, and you don't think to give me a call and tell me? I'm really hurt, Chuck," Ellie said. She really did sound hurt, which broke Chuck's heart. Not only did he have to lie to Ellie, but he was hurting her in the process.

"I'm sorry, sis. I really am-"

"Don't sorry me, what's her name? Is she nice? Tell me about her," Ellie demanded.

"Um, her name is Sarah. She's really pretty, and really…_nice_," he lied. He really didn't think of her as all that nice, but he had to sell this "relationship" to Ellie, so it was a necessary evil. "She's nothing like Jill," he lied again. Sarah was really almost _just_ like Jill. They were both spies, and neither seemed to care about what Chuck wanted. At least he could take solace in the fact that Sarah was taller than Jill, and a blonde. Maybe that added some fraction of truth to what he was saying.

"You really know what to tell me to make me happy, little brother," Ellie said happily. "But, you two have to come here for Christmas. She doesn't get to monopolize all of the holidays."

"I'll see what I can do, sis. She's a hard sell sometimes," Chuck said with a forced laugh.

Little did Chuck know that at that very moment, Sarah was intently listening into every word that was being said between the siblings. She didn't want to tell him just how much surveillance was really on him, because she thought it would freak him out. And seeing as she was trying to earn his trust, it didn't seem like a wise move.

But Sarah had made a habit of watching Chuck even closer than protocol dictated. Her job description was to watch him for any signs that the Intersect might not be working correctly, and that he stayed safe from enemy personnel, and that he stayed loyal to the CIA. But she had taken it upon herself to learn everything she could about him on a personal level. Her tries to lure him into a relationship had fallen flat, and after the fiasco at and after the football game just over a week beforehand, she'd taken more of a wait and see approach.

And the intel she'd gained on her mark was invaluable. First, she'd learned that she couldn't view him as a mark. She couldn't view him as someone that fell into any category that she'd learned about in seduction training. Chuck was different. He really cared about things, about people. Hell, he was still concerned about that bitch Jill Roberts even after everything that had happened between the two of them.

Chuck cared about his family and friends. They were very important to him, and he treasured those relationships. That's why he'd tried so hard to get out of going to Washington over the upcoming break. That was good information to have. She could not doubt gain favor with Chuck in the future by making sure he got to see his family. When exams were over, and the Winter Break arrived, she would make sure Chuck got to go home. And she would make sure that he knew that she was the reason he got to go home. And she would also make sure that she went with him. What better way, after all, to worm her way into Chuck's heart than to worm her way into his most prized group: his friends and family?

* * *

**Cabin Fever  
Orion's safe house  
December, 2002  
**

Two months.

Two months in that rotten, God-forsaken house with Jill Roberts.

Cabin fever didn't begin to describe how Bryce was feeling. He was trapped in a safe house with an enemy of the state, while his best friend was being endangered by the very government Bryce had sworn to protect.

And to top it all off, his new "roommate" was a freaking slob. Oh, on the surface, she looked the part of a sweet, orderly girl. But underneath it all, when it came down to it, Jill was anything but. Clothes lay discarded all over the house, wherever the female member of the rescue party to-be felt urged to drop them. There were half finished meals and drinks placed haphazardly on every flat surface in the house. And all of that didn't even bring the state of Jill's bedroom into the discussion. Bryce didn't know _what_ was going on in there, and quite honestly, he didn't want to know.

The first week of their stay, he'd done his best to pick up after his friend's girlfriend. At least he still thought of her as Chuck's girlfriend. For all Bryce knew, Chuck had already been pulled into the web of manipulation spun by the beautiful, blonde seductress Bryce had once called partner. Part of Bryce actually expected just that. A big part.

Damn. He needed to get out of that house. He needed to get back to trying to help Chuck, however he could. He needed to…what the hell was that he stepped in?

Two months.

Two months in this piece of shit house with Bryce Larkin.

To say she was growing tired of her partner's nagging would be a gross understatement. This wasn't even his house! Why would he care if things were a little cluttered? Jill freely admitted that she had some issues with keeping things in order. Her roommate, Shari, had been on her for years to be a little neater. But Chuck had never complained.

Damn. Chuck. She missed him so much, and worst of all, she was worried about him. She was worried in more ways than one. She was of course concerned with his safety, and how he would be handled by the CIA. But there was another part of her -- a more irrational, jealous side -- that was concerned about _who_ was handling him.

From the minute Jill laid eyes on Sarah Walker, she didn't like her, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Jill was Fulcrum and Sarah was CIA. It was something else. Something Jill couldn't put her finger on at first. Of course, now Jill understood that her feelings towards the blonde were based in a need to keep her territory – Chuck – protected. Not protected from harm, but protected from intruders.

Jill had never really worried about Chuck straying before Sarah came along. She knew that Chuck Bartowski was not a cheater. He would have never been unfaithful to her. Even during the worst of times in their relationship, which Jill freely admitted were her own fault, Chuck stayed loyal.

He really was the perfect boyfriend. He was sweet, smart, cute, loving, and he never betrayed those close to him. But now, Jill wasn't the one that was close to him. It was Sarah Walker. Would Chuck stay loyal to her?

"We have a transmission coming in from Orion in ten minutes," Bryce said, breaking Jill from her reverie.

"Oh? Really? Are we finally going to get out of this pit?" Jill asked.

"Well, maybe, I don't know," Bryce answered. Then added, "But it wouldn't be such a pit if you would occasionally pick up after yourself."

"Oh, God. Are we going to go through this again, Bryce? We can't all be Betty fucking Homemaker, like you!" Jill seethed.

"I'm not – how is it so hard to put your dirty clothes in a hamper? Huh? Or garbage in the proper garbage disposal unit?" Bryce asked indignantly.

"Garbage disposal unit? You mean the trash can?" Jill asked in reply.

"Are you honestly going to argue with me about the proper terminology for something that you don't use?" Bryce asked, rolling his eyes.

"Why not? We've argued about everything else!" Jill exclaimed, waving her arms around to illustrate her point.

"We argue about everything because you're a fucking pig!" Bryce yelled.

Jill's temper was starting to get the best of her, but she really didn't care. She had a lot of pent up frustration, and being stuck in such a small space with such an annoying person had done nothing but exacerbate that problem.

"Well, you wouldn't even be here to know how much of a pig I am if you hadn't brought the goddamn CIA around Chuck!" Jill stated.

"And Chuck would have trusted us, and he'd be here with us right now, or better yet, we'd all be somewhere better if you had kept him properly laid!"

"How does Chuck and my sex life enter into the situation at all?" Jill asked angrily.

"Oh, come off it, Jill. You know good and damn well that if you'd been a halfway decent girlfriend that Chuck wouldn't have followed Sarah back in Mexico. He's too loyal. But no. You had to act like the fucking bitch that you are, and now, we are stuck in this fucking house, waiting on orders from someone that we don't really know in hopes of mounting some halfcocked rescue attempt, when honestly, who even knows if Chuck wants to _be_rescued at this point?" Bryce pointed out.

"What do you mean _if_ he wants to be rescued?" Jill asked, calming down significantly. "What makes you think Chuck doesn't want to be rescued?"

Bryce laughed. How could Jill not see what was so evident? "What do you think he's doing right now, Jill? Or should I say, _who_ do you think he's doing right now? He's probably never been happier."

That silenced Jill. She knew what was probably happening between her boyfriend – or was it ex-boyfriend – well, whatever Chuck was to her now, she knew what he was most likely doing with that CIA agent. And Jill knew she couldn't blame him. It wasn't his fault.

"If you two are done with your little spat, I'd like to get this meeting underway before the guards come back," said a mechanical voice from the open laptop on the kitchen table.

"Yes sir, Mr. Bartowski, sorry," Bryce said, rushing over to face the computer.

Jill dragged behind, still deep in thought about what Bryce had said. About what she'd come to realize.

"I'll make this brief. Get it, _brief_?" Orion asked with a laugh. Jill and Bryce didn't seem amused, but they did try to fake a laugh.

"Okay, here's the deal. The CIA screwed up," Stephen Bartowski said, becoming more serious. "They called Chuck back to DC over Thanksgiving for some testing."

"Why is that bad?" Bryce asked.

"It's bad because Fulcrum has moles all throughout the agency, Larkin!" Orion boomed.

Jill couldn't keep the look of guilt from her face. She knew just how deep Fulcrum's connections ran, and with Chuck now carrying the Intersect, her organization would no doubt stop at nothing to get their hands on him.

"So Fulcrum knows?" Jill asked, already knowing the answer.

"Fulcrum knows," Orion answered somberly. "This is where you two come in. I've coddled you long enough. I can't join you just yet, but as soon as I complete the new Intersect Cube, I'll need you to help me get out of here. Until then, you are to act as Chuck's guardian angels."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Bryce asked.

* * *

**Christmas at the Bartowski's  
December 2002  
Los Angeles, CA

* * *

**

Ellie Bartowski stood on the platform at Union Station awaiting the arrival of her little brother and his new girlfriend, Sarah, or, as Ellie had come to refer to the mystery woman, "Not Jill".

Ellie had tried to like Jill. She honestly had. Jill seemed to make her brother happy, and that was all that really mattered. But then things had changed, and Jill wasn't making Chuck happy anymore. She was making him miserable. That had drawn Ellie's ire, but she still managed to keep her distaste for the other woman somewhat in check. That was until the infamous showdown between the two back in late June.

**

* * *

  
**

"_Jill, can I have a word with you?" Ellie asked. _

_Chuck had been moping around all summer, and Ellie had a sneaking suspicion that Jill Roberts was the reason for his depression. At the very least, Jill should have been able to offer some insight into what had Chuck down. Normally the two were inseparable. Just the summer before, they'd spent two consecutive months not being apart for any longer than a trip to the bathroom. _

_This year, however, Jill seemed to be around a lot less. In fact, this was the first time Ellie had seen Jill all summer. And while Chuck had tried to excuse his girlfriend's absence, Ellie could tell that something just wasn't right between the two. _

_Sure, Chuck still loved Jill. That much was clear. But Ellie prided herself on being fairly perceptive when it came to matters of her younger sibling, and something in his life just wasn't kosher. _

"_What is it, Ellie?" Jill asked irritated. _

"_Is everything alright between you and Chuck?" Ellie asked, doing her best to not get upset with the other woman. _

"_Why? Did he say something?" Jill asked. Ellie noted that Jill's tone didn't seem to indicate that she was worried about the situation. It was more like she was annoyed by Ellie asking. That pissed Ellie off even more. _

"_No, he didn't say anything. I just thought that maybe –"_

"_I don't believe you," Jill said. "Dammit, Chuck. You can't even fight your battles for yourself now?" Jill asked under her breath. _

"_What did you say?" Ellie asked, now in full-on protective mode for her brother. _

"_Nothing," Jill answered. "I'll go have a talk with Chuck."_

_Jill didn't seem to have any productive plans for this "talk". If Ellie had to guess, she would say that Jill was probably going to go yell at Chuck for making her look bad. _

**

* * *

  
**

That was the moment Ellie knew that she hated Jill Roberts. She hadn't said anything to Chuck about the confrontation, or about her feelings towards Jill. Well, she hadn't said anything directly about her feelings towards Jill, anyway. But she'd strongly hinted to her brother that maybe Jill wasn't the right one for him. That maybe he should look elsewhere.

And Chuck had of course largely ignored Ellie's hints. At least Ellie thought he had. But then came the news that Chuck was seeing someone else. That this new relationship was getting serious, and that Chuck seemed to have completely moved on from Jill.

Ellie didn't know anything really about this new girl, but the fact that she wasn't Jill Roberts was already a major plus in Ellie's book. So the sister would do everything that she could to support this new relationship. She'd do everything she could to let Chuck know that she was happy that he'd moved on.

The train ride from Palo Alto to Los Angeles was surprisingly quite calming. Sarah hadn't been on a train in years. It had been almost all cars and planes since her tenth birthday, when her present from her dad had been to tell her that they were starting a new life. That life had consisted of traveling the nation in whatever car they could rip off, and taking poor suckers for their hard earned money.

After her dad's arrest, and her subsequent recruitment by the CIA, she'd been on a number of flights all over the world. But for whatever reason, she'd not been on a train during that time.

The last time Sarah remembered taking a train was the last day she spent with her mother, back on Long Island. They'd gone into the city for lunch, and some shopping. It was one of the happiest days of Sarah's young life. Of course, it was followed by one of the worst days of her life. The day she found out that her mother had left. That it was just Sarah and her dad from that point forward.

But being on the train with Chuck, going to meet his family, took her back to her childhood. She did her best to look over the reports Chuck had helped her to put together on his family and friends so that she appeared to be a well adjusted girlfriend, but the glee she felt in her current situation made it hard.

Since she made an effort to back off of her overt attempts at winning Chuck's affections, things had actually started to get better between them. Chuck wasn't quite as closed off. He would talk about things from his childhood with his sister, Ellie, and his best friend…damn, what was his name? Sarah flipped back through the reports. _Morgan, right. _

If it was possible, she'd grown to like him even more over that time. He was just such a caring person, something Sarah had never really known from another person before. And it was something she wanted, no she _needed_ for herself.

The only two topics of conversation that Chuck had made it clear were out of bounds were his parents, which Sarah completely understood. Her childhood had sucked as much as anyone's, and she knew well the pain of reliving those memories. Chuck simply told her that both his mom and dad had left him and his sister, and that was good enough for Sarah.

The other topic that Chuck avoided caused Sarah more grief, however. Jill. Chuck wouldn't talk to Sarah about how he felt about Jill. He would say whether or not he still had feelings for the brunette, which Sarah was almost sure that he did. And every time something good seemed to be starting to happen between Sarah and the man that she really liked, those memories of Jill would pop up like the bad guy in a horror movie.

Sarah hated Jill. She hated Jill with all of her being. Of course, she'd never tell Chuck that. She wasn't sure Chuck even understood what it meant to hate someone, what with his gentle nature. She was just as sure that Chuck wouldn't want to know the feelings of resentment and loathing that Sarah harbored for his ex.

When the train pulled into Union Station, Sarah grabbed her carry on, and turned to her travel companion. He'd slept through almost the entire ride, and he was still asleep. He looked so peaceful, Sarah hated to wake him. She gave herself a moment to just stare at his sleeping form, before finally deciding to gently shake him.

"Chuck," she whispered sweetly. "We're here."

Chuck woke with a start, and quickly began to take in his surroundings. He was on a train, in LA, with Sarah, just as he was supposed to be. He smiled weakly, and began to stretch out his arms and legs.

"Sleep well?" Sarah asked.

"Mmmhmmm," Chuck groaned. "Did you get any rest?"

"Well, no, not really. I was busy going over these files," she answered, holding up the files Chuck had given her on his family before packing them away in her bag.

Chuck thought he sensed something from Sarah that he didn't expect. She seemed to be nervous, and excited about the trip. Chuck knew that he was excited to see Ellie and Morgan, but he didn't understand why Sarah would be. But then, maybe she wasn't. Maybe she was just already in character. He reasoned that that was probably the reason for her demeanor.

"Ready to go meet the fam?" Chuck asked, raising his eyebrows.

Sarah heaved a deep sigh. She was incredibly nervous about meeting the most important people in Chuck's life. She wanted them to like her so bad. She knew that if she could get them to like her, that it would go a long way in getting Chuck to like her.

"Let's go," she said.

When they stepped off the train, a blur of brown hair blew past Sarah and began to assault Chuck. Sarah was immediately on the offensive, and prepared to take down Chuck's attacker. Of course, the blonde quickly realized that the "attacker" was actually just Chuck's sister Ellie, and the "assault" was nothing more than a hug.

Sarah relaxed and took in the sight before her. She wasn't accustomed to being around happy families, so this was something new for her.

"I've missed you so much, little brother," Ellie said excitedly, finally pulling back from the hug.

"I've missed you too, Ellie, and this is-"

"You must be Sarah," Ellie said, cutting Chuck off. She pushed her brother aside and surprised the blonde with another hug. Sarah's eyes bulged, and she stiffened within the embrace of the older Bartowski. After the immediate shock wore off, Sarah relaxed a little, and hugged Ellie back.

Ellie, realizing that she may be acting a bit overzealous, let the other woman go, and immediately began to apologize.

"I'm so sorry. It's just, Chuck, well, I'm sure you know about Jill, who I never really liked, by the way. And I was sure that when they eventually broke up, and yes Chuck, I knew it would happen. I was sure that when they did, that it would take Chuck a long time to get over it. So, thank you, I guess, for being there for my brother," Ellie finished in a flurry.

"You don't have to thank me," Sarah said laughing.

"No, I do," Ellie corrected her.

"No, you don't, Ellie. I'm happy that I could be there for Chuck, but I assure you, the pleasure has been all mine," Sarah finished with a smile.

Chuck didn't know what to think about the introduction of his sister and his fake girlfriend. Ellie really seemed to like Sarah, and that really could cause problems. True, Sarah had been much tamer, and much more pleasant to be around since he rebuffed her advances after the football game about a month ago. Still, he wasn't completely comfortable with his CIA handler and liaison. But if she made Ellie happy, then that would have to be good enough, for now.

"What's all this talk about pleasure?" boomed a deep voice from behind the group. Once again, Sarah prepared to defend her asset from a new threat. Once again, it turned out to be no threat at all.

"Oh, Chuck, Sarah. I guess I have an introduction to make as well," Ellie said sheepishly. "This is my boyfriend, Devon."

"Boyfriend? You didn't tell me you were seeing someone. What was it that you said about not telling your sibling about such important things going on in your life?" Chuck asked teasingly.

"Well, we were taking things slow at first," Ellie admitted. "You know, after, well, coming out of a long relationship, I didn't want to rush into anything. But Devon and I – things are just going –"

"Awesome!" finished the tall blond man with a big toothy grin.

Ellie rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a smile. "Things _are_ awesome," Ellie said. "So I guess we have a lot of catching up to do. Should we get out of here?"

On the way back to Ellie's apartment, they picked up a couple of pizzas. When they arrived, the group enjoyed a nice lunch, and easy conversation as they all got to know one another.

Sarah had never been a part of something so normal, and while it was a bit uncomfortable, she found that she loved the discomfort. It was certainly something she could become accustomed to happily. She really liked Ellie, and even if he was a bit loud for Sarah's tastes, she liked Devon.

Chuck was happy to finally be home with his sister. He had to admit, he'd had reservations about this big, loud guy she was seeing when they'd first met, but when he really got to talk to Devon, he found he really liked the guy. He was happy that Ellie had someone like that in her life. Someone that seemed so frank, so honest.

That thought was sobering. As much as Chuck valued honesty, he was being anything but with his sister. He'd brought a professional liar into their home, and he himself was lying as much, if not more than Sarah was. He really wanted a chance to talk to Ellie without the prying ears of his handler, so Chuck asked the two significant others if they'd leave the siblings alone for a little while.

While Chuck had his brother-sister moment with Ellie, Sarah sat alone in the bedroom that she'd be sharing with Chuck. She was resting comfortably on the bed, when she heard a rustling from the window. Quickly her hand found its way to the hilt of the knife she had hidden at the small of her back.

Before she could throw the weapon, however, she recognized the identity of the intruder. It was Chuck's best friend. And from the look on the face of the little man, he was just as surprised to see her as she was him. Sarah decided to defuse the potentially awkward moment by introducing herself to…_crap, what was his name_?

"Oh my god, Chuck has told me so much about you!" Sarah lied. "I'm Sarah. Martin, right?" she asked.

"Morgan," corrected the small bearded man.

"Oh, right, Morgan. I don't know how I did that. Yeah, Chuck just goes on and on about you, and, you know, the things you do."

"He's never mentioned me has he?" Morgan asked.

"No, of course he has. I'm just bad with names," Sarah admitted. "I'm really sorry about that."

"It's just as well. Clearly you won't be sticking around long," Morgan said dismissively.

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, her eyes narrowed, her voice low and bordering on dangerous.

"Well, I'm just saying. If Chuck hasn't brought up his best friend, he clearly doesn't think you'll be in his life for very long," Morgan explained matter-of-factly.

"I told you, he has talked about you. A lot, in fact," Sarah defended. "But maybe his focus has just been on me so much, that I didn't have time to remember anything else."

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm sure you're great and everything, but you can't touch what Chuck and I have." Morgan had a smug look on his face, and it took all of Sarah's willpower not to smack it right off.

"So you say. You've never been there when Chuck and I, well, you know," Sarah said with a smirk. True, she hadn't slept with Chuck. She hadn't even come close, but Morgan didn't need to know that.

"Yeah, I'll bet it's _great_, but sex can't touch the bond we have, trust me. Just like I knew Jill wouldn't last forever, you will eventually become null and void. And it will still be Morgan, right here," Morgan said, accenting his words by pointing to himself, then the floor.

"I'm not Jill," Sarah said, all sense of tolerance gone from her voice. Jill had done enough to keep her apart from Chuck, and she didn't need this little gnome comparing Sarah to that bitch.

"No, you're blonde. And knowing my buddy, he prefers brunettes, so you might not last as long as she did."

"I'm here to stay, Morgan," Sarah said, a very dangerous lilt to her voice. Sarah thought she'd picked up on Chuck apparent affinity for women with darker hair, but she'd hoped she was wrong. Morgan wasn't helping her hopes.

"We'll see," Morgan answered in a sing-song fashion.

Sarah had had enough of the challenge from the little bearded troll.

"You know what, fuck you Morgan!" Sarah spat.

"Fuck you!" Morgan answered.

"No, fuck _you!" _Sarah said, a little louder this time.

"Fuck you," Morgan said again. He didn't seem to be getting nearly as upset as Sarah was, and that just pissed her off more. But before she could answer the man again, her attention was drawn to the opening bedroom door.

Chuck walked into the room, causing Sarah to back down slightly. She backpedaled away from Morgan, but as she left, she mouthed one more _"fuck you" _that only Morgan could see. That hadn't gone at all like Sarah had hoped. In fact, it was worse than anything she could have imagined. She couldn't let people get to her like that. She needed people like Morgan to be on her side if she was going to get into Chuck's inner circle.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, I tried to proofread this chapter as best I could, but again, I feel like a deep-fried turd right now, so if there are any mistakes that took away from your enjoyment of the chapter, I apologize. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little alternate-universe story, and I look forward to your feedback. After all, reviews really are the best medicine, haha. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	13. Friends Forever

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. Don't really own anything but a massive migraine that won't let me sleep right this second, really. _

_A/N: So I was debating on when to release this chapter. I have RSP (Recruit Sustainment Program) drills this weekend, so I'll be out of contact really until Monday. So it came down to Friday or Monday. And like usually happens with me, I couldn't hold onto something that I had saved on my hard drive for that long. I needed to get it out there for consumption, haha. I should say that I'm really excited about the current direction that this story is taking, and it's making it easier to write. If I really pushed myself, I'm sure I could give you more frequent updates, but I'm kind of digging the pace I'm working with now. It allows for me to put more thought into what I'm writing, and I think it increases the quality of the updates. I hope you agree. I'd hate to think that I'm giving you shitty updates, and slow updates, haha. A big thanks as always to __**MXPW**__, who once again came through with some valuable insight into this chapter. This story wouldn't be nearly as good as it is without his help. And with that, I'll let you continue reading. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and please review. Thanks!

* * *

_

**Chapter 13: Friends Forever**

**Ellie's Apartment  
California  
December, 2002**

Chuck listened from just outside the doorframe. His talk with Ellie had been the standard for what his life had become: dishonest. He'd told Ellie as much as he could, without telling her anything at all. It was important that no one know he was carrying the Intersect in his head, or even working with the CIA for that matter. Director Graham had been clear in letting him know that anyone that found out could be endangered. So Chuck had smiled and nodded, and lied, and embellished his way through his sister's interrogation.

And then, he found himself listening to Sarah fight with Morgan. His first inclination had been to step in and stop the argument, but it had been too interesting. Morgan was being his normal, often irritating self. Chuck's life long buddy had made a habit out of really getting under the skin of Chuck's girlfriends over the years. Apparently, that applied to fake girlfriends, as well.

Yeah, Chuck was a little worried when he heard the pair start to throw "F-bombs" at one another. Morgan didn't know who, or what he was dealing with. Sarah was a trained assassin, and if the wee man upset her too much, Chuck thought that the blonde might just see fit to end it for his bearded friend. But then, Jill wasn't who she said she was either. Morgan could have been in just as much danger with Chuck's former main-squeeze.

Then something peculiar occurred to Chuck. Sarah wasn't arguing with Morgan in the way someone who was just pretending to be involved would argue. She wasn't acting as though she was upset that her verbal opponent might compromise her cover. She was acting like a jealous, irrational girlfriend. It was one thing for her to act like that around Chuck. He'd grown used to it, and had just written it off as part of the cover, or her attempt to manipulate him. But for all intents and purposes, she didn't even know that he was listening during the fight with Morgan.

Where did that come from? Did she _really_ think of herself as his girlfriend? Is that really what she wanted? Was that the reason for her peculiar behavior over the past month? No, that couldn't be it. Could it? He'd have to have a long talk with her. But first, he needed to stop Sarah from killing his best friend.

Chuck stepped into the room, and the argument, or what was left of it, suddenly came to a halt. Sarah slowly backed herself towards him, not taking her penetrating gaze away from Morgan. Chuck saw her mouth one more _fuck you_ to the little bearded man before she turned to leave the bedroom and join him.

"What the hell was that?" Chuck asked quietly as they walked down the hall of the apartment.

"He, umm, he said some stuff, and we had to get it straightened out," Sarah explained, sounding much calmer than she had just moments before. "Wait, how much of that did you hear?" she asked, a little bit of panic showing in her voice.

"I came in somewhere around 'I'm not Jill,' I think," Chuck explained.

"Well I'm not," Sarah huffed.

"No, you're not," Chuck said sadly. The way he said it was like a knife to Sarah's gut.

What did he mean by that? Was it because what he had with Jill was real, and he thought that what he had with her never would be? Was he saying he wasn't interested in her like he was Jill? Was he saying he was still in love with Jill, even after everything the other woman had done to him?

"What do you mean by that?" Sarah asked, guardedly.

"I mean a lot of things, I guess," Chuck said wistfully. "Can we go outside and talk about it?"

Sarah nodded, and followed him to the door, despite her reservations about actually talking about whatever it was. Actions she could handle. She could show Chuck all day and night what she felt for him, what she wanted from him. But he was asking her to voice those things? That wasn't fair!

The couple took a seat at the fountain in the courtyard of the apartment complex. It was a really nice apartment, and Sarah wondered a little just how a med student could afford such a place.

"So how long has Ellie been living here?" she asked, hoping the change in topic would keep Chuck from asking the questions she dreaded him asking.

"Awhile," Chuck said dismissively. "That's not what we need to talk about, though."

Dammit, she'd really hoped that would work. Chuck wasn't an easy one to deflect with. So when deflection doesn't work, the only weapon left in the arsenal is denial.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sarah said, not meeting Chuck's eyes with her own.

Chuck laughed, almost bitterly. "You don't know what I'm talking about?" he asked incredulously. "Okay, let's start with your little spat with Morgan. What was that about?"

"I told you, he said-"

"He said some things you weren't comfortable with. Yeah, I get that. That's Morgan for you. But why did it upset you so much. You weren't faking that, Sarah. Even you're not that good of an actress," Chuck said accusingly.

"Okay, fine. He pissed me off," Sarah admitted. "But it's over now. No need to discuss it further." She got up to walk back into the apartment, hoping that the conversation really _was_ over, but fearing it wasn't. And she was right. Chuck grabbed her arm, and pulled her back to a seated position.

"That's just the latest incident, though Sarah. What about everything that's been going on? The football game with the kissing? Threatening Jenny at Stanford? Walking around the apartment nearly naked?"

"Again, I have no idea what you're talking about," Sarah denied further.

"I'm sure you don't," Chuck said sarcastically.

"I don't," Sarah answered defiantly. "Chuck, it's just a cover," she lied. "Sometimes, in situations like this, it's common for people to confuse the cover for reality, but I assure you, I'm just doing my job."

And Chuck had no doubts about that. He'd already thought that she was doing her job. It was the details of exactly what that job was that scared him. In her own way, she'd just admitted to him what he feared most: that she was trying to get close to him to control him. That was the only logical explanation.

"I'm sure you are, Agent Walker," Chuck said, and then he got up to leave.

"Chuck wait!" Sarah called after him.

"What is it?" Chuck asked, heaving a frustrated sigh.

"I, umm, I didn't mean it. What I meant was-" Sarah swallowed the lump in her throat. "I was trying to say that, I didn't, umm," her words were failing her again, as they always seemed to do. And when her words failed her, she always seemed to have a physical course of action to make up for her lack of verbal communication. This time was no different.

Sarah grabbed Chuck by the shirt collar and pulled him to her, kissing him, hard. Chuck was stunned by the sudden action. He didn't react at all to the kiss at first, but as he had after the football game the previous month, he started kissing her back without thinking. When his mind caught up with what his lips were doing, he pushed her away.

Chuck looked at Sarah with a startled gaze. He didn't know where that had come from. It didn't feel like that was a cover kiss, or even a "for work" kiss. That had felt real. It felt like much more than manipulation. Chuck was confused again. He needed to get away. To clear his head.

"I, um," Chuck stumbled. "I need to go talk to Morgan about this. I mean, not this, the kiss, but about, well, you know."

Sarah nodded slowly. She'd let him go talk to his friend. She'd let him get his thoughts together. And hopefully, he'd figure out that what she wanted wasn't about the job at all. Hopefully, he'd see that she wanted much more than that. That the kiss she'd just given him was real.

But if Chuck was going to talk to his friend, then Sarah could take a few minutes and seek advice from _her_ friend. She'd tried to avoid enlisting the help of her college buddy, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

And at the end of the day, Sarah had only one person in the world that she considered a friend. There was only one person that she trusted to give her advice on her current dilemma. And as much as she hated to call that person, things were getting bleak, and her friend might be Sarah's only hope.

So Sarah pulled her phone from her purse, and dialed a number she hadn't called in months. As the other end rang, she swallowed the lump in her throat, and with it, her pride. It was the pride that would take the biggest beating in the coming conversation.

"Hello?" answered the voice of Sarah's friend.

"Carina, it's Sarah."

"Oh, Miss I'm going off on assignment and don't even have to tell my roommate I'm leaving?" the other woman said devilishly.

"I didn't know until I was already gone, I'm sorry," Sarah apologized.

"Meh, no worries, I'm just jealous. So where'd they send ya?" asked the brunette, perking up slightly.

"Carina," Sarah said warningly.

"Right, right. You could tell me, but you'd have to try to kill me, only to have your ass kicked…like always," Carina said. The smirk she no doubt wore could be heard in her voice.

"You do _not_ always kick my ass," Sarah grumbled.

"Remember it however you want, Blondie," Carina said. She could be maddeningly arrogant at times. "So, why'd ya call? Your prudish tendencies finally get in the way and you need a session with Dr. Carina?"

"What? No! It's just, I don't really have anyone to get advice from – well, not this kind of advice – and I thought maybe, well..."

"So it _is_ about your prudish ways!" Carina said knowingly.

"I am not a prude! I have a very healthy view of sex. You're just a slut!" Sarah barked.

"Or…I'm passionate, and you're a prude. Po-TAY-to, po-TOT-to," Carina said playfully.

Sarah sighed. "Fine, whatever Carina. Are you going to help me with my boy trouble or not?"

"So it's a boy?" Carina asked. She actually sounded surprised.

"Of course it's a boy," Sarah said resentfully.

"You say that so matter-of-factly. That's strange, as the only person I can remember you hooking up with ever is, well, me." Despite Sarah's apparent growing anger, Carina refused to abandon her teasing nature.

"I've hooked up with other people," Sarah said defensively.

"Yeah? Who?"

"Colin," Sarah said matter-of-factly.

"You made out with him, and when he tried to go to third base, you broke his nose," Carina laughed.

"Justin."

"His hand went under your skirt so you pepper sprayed him and ran," Carina reminded her.

"Well, there was, um…"

"There was no one, Sarah. Why do you think everyone on campus thought you were the biggest tease ever?" Carina asked seriously.

"No one thought that," Sarah said pouting.

"Everyone thought that. Well, everyone except me," Carina replied, her teasing tone returning.

"That was a mistake, and I was drunk," Sarah defended.

"I didn't ask how, Sarah. The fact is, your V-card belongs to me," Carina said tauntingly.

"Fine, whatever. Are you going to help me, oh keeper of my virginity?" Sarah asked exhaustedly.

"I'll see what I can do. So what's the problem?" Carina asked.

"He won't – I can't get him to do anything with me," Sarah admitted.

"So I take it you've tried everything they taught us in seduction training?" Carina asked, abandoning her teasing of her friend.

"Of course! I'm not completely clueless," Sarah said, even more defensively than before.

"Is this business, or personal?" Carina asked, clearly deep in thought.

"Umm…both."

"Tsk, tsk. Mixing work with pleasure. I thought you knew better than that, Sarah Walker," Carina said.

"Well I'm not mixing anything right now. There's been no pleasure to speak of, as of yet," Sarah huffed.

"Well, is he cute?" Carina asked, growing more interested by the moment.

"Of course he's cute," Sarah roared.

"Is he playing you? Maybe the hard to get thing? I've never been a fan of doing it myself, but it works for some people," Carina rambled.

"First of all, you're not capable of playing hard to get," Sarah said, laughing for the first time during the conversation. "Secondly, no, he's not doing that. I think he just doesn't want me."

"And you want him?" Carina asked.

"Yes, sort of," Sarah answered weakly.

"Sort of?" Carina asked. Sarah could just picture the raised eyebrow of her friend as she asked the question.

"Okay, fine! I want him really, really bad. I like him a lot, and I want to bone him like there's no tomorrow, happy?" Sarah said loudly.

"Unequivocally. So if I help you, do you promise to let me have one more spin around the block sometime?"

"Carina," Sarah said with a threatening voice.

"Fine, whatever. But you can't tell me you didn't like it. Your screams of pleasure tell a much different story."

"I was on the verge of alcohol poisoning, but I still remember there being a lot of giggling, but not one scream," Sarah pointed out.

"Semantics. The fact of the matter is, I made you happy," Carina said proudly.

"Listen, if you're just going to badger me about the _one_ time I made that drunken mistake-"

"Okay, don't get your panties in a wad. So tell me about this boy. How is he reacting to you?" Carina asked, getting back down to business.

"He acts…I don't know, scared almost," Sarah admitted.

"Maybe you're coming on too strong," Carina said plainly.

"I thought guys liked that!" Sarah said.

"Most do, some don't. Have you tried it the other way? Let him come after you?" Carina asked.

"I've tried everything."

"Is he gay?" Carina asked curiously.

"I asked that!" Sarah boomed. She immediately looked around to see if her sudden outburst had drawn attention. Fortunately, no one was around to hear her. With a sheepish look on her face, she focused back on the conversation at hand.

"How does he act around other people? Is he really talkative?"

"Yes, with everyone but me, he is always talking. He loves to talk about his feelings, and stuff," Sarah admitted.

"So tell him about your feelings. Maybe it will make him open up, and soon, you'll have him naked."

"But I can't tell him about my feelings. That's not professional," Sarah said defiantly.

"Sarah, I can't fix all of your hang-ups, and don't deny it, because that's what this is. It has nothing to do with professionalism. You're just scared that if he sees the real you, he will never want to be with you," Carina said, clearly annoyed.

"But he won't!" Sarah declared softly, but with enthusiasm.

"Yes he will. I know the real you, and I wouldn't kick you out of bed," Carina said softly. It was as close as she ever got to being comforting.

"But you're a slut," Sarah said, more jokingly this time.

"That may be, but I promise, you have a lot to offer, Sarah. This guy would be a fool not to let you in. You just have to be ready to go to an uncomfortable place with him."

"You mean?"

"Not _that_ place, crazy," Carina said laughing. "You just have to be a little more open with him. You can do it. I have faith in you."

"Thank you, Carina."

"No problem. When you finally get that guy under you, give him one good go-around for me."

"Bye, Carina," Sarah said, smiling for the first time in days. She'd never had any real friends in her life, and she'd certainly never had anyone to give her advice before she met Carina freshman year at Harvard. It felt good to have someone on her side for once. Other than the brief time spent with Ellie, Sarah hadn't found anyone else in months that had _her_ best interest at heart. And even Ellie only had her back because she was being supportive of Chuck.

In that, Carina was a breath of fresh air, even if she was a bit eccentric. Maybe one day when Sarah finally won Chuck's heart, she could introduce him to her only friend. She'd just have to make sure the story of her once night of drunken experimentation during rush sophomore year stayed hidden.

* * *

**Outside the apartment complex  
California  
December, 2002**

"She actually _likes_ Chuck," Bryce said, shock evident in his voice.

"Don't sound so surprised. Chuck's a great guy," Jill said, defending her ex, but not really an ex, because they never actually broke up. Damn, this spy life made things confusing.

Bryce and Jill had been watching Chuck from afar since their last communication with Orion. Generally, they didn't get as close as they currently were: across from the apartment complex in a surveillance van. But given that it wasn't just Chuck, but his sister as well that were now potentially in danger, they'd been told to up their security.

Not only was the entire apartment complex bugged to the hilt, but thanks to Orion's next-gen equipment, the pair was even able to listen into every incoming and outgoing phone call that happened on the grounds. Even when those calls took place on the secure phone that Agent Walker was carrying.

"You're taking this well," Bryce observed.

"Of course I am," Jill smirked. "Chuck's shutting her down at every turn."

"And how long do you think that will last?" Bryce asked.

Jill sobered slightly at the thought. Yeah, Chuck had been strong enough to rebuff that blonde bitch's many advances so far, but what would happen over the long-haul? Would Chuck still be able to say know when he figured out that the other woman really was into him?

"He'll hold out," Jill said unconvincingly. It was as much for her benefit as it was for Bryce's.

"He didn't seem to be holding out much during that kiss," Bryce pointed out.

Jill turned red with anger at the mention of the kiss that had occurred between Chuck and Walker. Bryce was right, however. Chuck hadn't stopped the kiss from happening until several moments had passed. He'd appeared to really get into it, in fact. How was Jill supposed to keep Chuck away from that other woman when so much progress had clearly been made between them in just two months? Well, there was one way.

"I'll fix that," Jill seethed, starting to climb out of the van.

"No, you won't," Bryce supplied, grabbing her around the waste and hauling her back to her seat. "He can't know we're here, remember? What are you going to do? _Hey, Chuck, yeah, I'm back. You can forget about that other chick now_," Bryce mocked with a high pitched voice.

"I don't sound like that," Jill stated flatly. "And further, maybe I'll just, um, maybe I should _take care_ of the threat."

"Okay, fine," Bryce said. "You'll go kill her, because I'm sure _that_ will win Chuck's affections back for you. How could he resist you then?" Bryce asked sarcastically.

"And you have a better idea?" Jill growled.

"Yeah, I do. Here's my idea," Bryce said. "We sit here, and we continue to do surveillance, like Orion told us to do. We continue to stay out of sight so that we don't get arrested for treason, because being in some CIA prison isn't going to help us accomplish our goal of helping Chuck. Or have you forgotten what we're here for?"

"But Chuck is going to…with that _woman_-"

"This isn't about you, Jill. God, can you quit being selfish for once in your life?" he asked, cutting Jill off.

"Fine," Jill huffed. "We'll just sit here. But if they…if they, well, you know, I'm turning off the monitors and the bugs. I don't need to see or hear that."

Bryce nodded in agreement. His best fried and his former partner going at it didn't sound like his idea of quality viewing either.

* * *

**Back inside the apartment  
California  
December, 2002**

"Hey buddy," Chuck said, approaching his friend, who was sitting on the living room sofa.

"Chuck, hey," Morgan said excitedly.

"You want to talk about what happened in there?" Chuck asked, pointing to the bedroom.

"Ah, yeah. You know, I just came in through the window, like I always do, and there she was," Morgan explained.

"Yeah, I could figure that part out. Now, how did it go from there to you two yelling four letter words at one another?" Chuck asked, a bemused smirk on his face.

"She was a threat," Morgan said plainly.

Morgan's choice of words couldn't have been worse for Chuck. What did the little man mean by threat? Is it possible that Morgan knew what Sarah really was? No, that couldn't be it. Still, the thought of Sarah as a threat had been one that Chuck himself had struggled with for some time.

"What do you mean by that?" Chuck asked tensely.

"To us, dude. To what we have. Our partnership!" Morgan exclaimed.

"Morgan, you know it creeps me out when you call our friendship a partnership. It creeps most people out, in fact," Chuck said with a grimace.

"Yeah, I still have nightmares of the first time Ellie heard me say that," Morgan recalled wistfully. "She doesn't handle things like that well."

"No one handles things like that well, Morgan," Chuck supplied.

"Fine," Morgan said with a sigh. "So tell me that you really like this girl. That's always been the issue anyway. I didn't think you were that into Jill, or any of the girls before now. You wouldn't tell me that I was wrong, so I assumed that I was right. So tell me it's different this time, and I'll try to back off, I promise."

"You'll try?" Chuck asked grinning.

"I'm not making any promises, but yeah, I'll try," Morgan answered dejectedly.

Chuck pondered his options. On one hand, he didn't want Sarah getting close to his family, and Morgan certainly qualified as family. On the other hand, he needed them to buy the cover. He'd made a commitment, albeit a somewhat forced one, to do the bidding of the CIA. He couldn't very well just back out of that commitment on a whim.

"I really like this girl," Chuck lied with a straight face.

"Yeah, I was afraid of that," Morgan supplied, sounding even more defeated. "I could tell this one was different."

Oh, you have no idea, Chuck thought. But he asked anyway. "What do you mean by that?"

"Jill, for all her hotness never really came across as, well, you know, the real deal. This one? Sarah, right?" Chuck nodded, encouraging his friend to continue. "She looks at you differently. Like, I hated her when we were yelling at one another, I really did. But then you walked into the room, and even though she was still mad…her eyes lit up when she saw you. It's obvious that she really likes you too, man."

And with that, Chuck had even more on his plate to consider than before. He'd already started to think that there was more going on with Sarah than she'd admitted. More than she _would_ admit. He'd written it of as her trying to manipulate him, but if Morgan saw something there, maybe it wasn't all for show. But did that even matter? Would he, Chuck, give into the whims of a trained assassin? Could he move on from Jill so quickly? Was Sarah even the kind of person her could move on _with_? Is that even what she wanted?

Chuck was more confused than ever. The thoughts that Morgan had caused him to have, added to the confusion brought on by the kiss out in the courtyard was almost too much to handle. Things seemed so much less complicated when Sarah was just a CIA agent, and he was just terrified by her. But if he thought of her as a real person…no, he couldn't. Not yet.

* * *

_A/N: Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoyed it. I also hope that you got a couple of laughs, and that you were made to have continued interest in the story. I really value the feedback of all of you readers out there. It helps me to know what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong. I'm mostly interested in what I'm doing right, but I'll take the bad with the good too, I suppose, haha. In coming chapters, Chuck and Sarah will continue to move closer together, but as I'm sure you can tell already, there are a number of landmines waiting to be uncovered. And when they do? Oh, boy. Alright, thanks for reading, and please leave me a review to let me know what you think. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	14. The Heart Wants

_Disclaimer: I don't own "Chuck", but sometimes I take two week breaks between updates just like the people that do own "Chuck" are wont to do. _

_A/N: Okay, I'm sorry for the wait, guys. I'm sure you're not interested in my excuses, but I'll tell you anyway. So as some of you know, I came down with the swine flu a little over a week ago, which kind of put a damper on writing. Then, this past Tuesday, I lost everything on my hard drive. That included this chapter of College Years, along with some future chapters I'd been working on, some unreleased work, and even my original novel I've been working on, on and off for awhile now. It was depressing to lose everything, but I learned an important lesson in backing everything up. Needless to say, when you lose entire chapters of fics, it becomes difficult to recreate what you originally had. It's just not as exciting to write something the second time around. So when I rewrote this chapter, I thought it lacked a certain sizzle, and I went to my good friend __**MXPW**__ for his advice. He gave me some excellent tips on how I could better make this one pop, and I hope it worked. I'm still a little sad that I lost the original, as I think it was a little better, but I finally have something I'm happy with, and I couldn't have done it without him. If you haven't read his stuff…like the amazing__** Chuck vs. The Double Agent**__, do yourself a favor and go catch up right now! You'll thank me later. Alright, enough whining about my personal problems, and pimping out my friends' projects. You're here to read a chapter, after all. I hope you enjoy it, and please review. Thanks!

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**Chapter 14: The Heart Wants **

**Ellie's Apartment  
California, USA  
December, 2002**

The early morning sun had begun to peak through the drapes of Chuck's bedroom window when he woke up. He found himself just as he'd been when he went to sleep: covers tucked under his chin, and safely on his own side of the bed. But there was something different. He realized that the something different was the feeling of being watched, very closely.

Chuck cracked an eye open, just enough to see Sarah, propped up on an elbow, staring at him intently. The light from the window was cascading across her face. Accented by her golden hair, the sunlight seemed to cast a halo around her. She would have looked almost angelic if her watching him wasn't so creepy.

"It creeps me out when you watch me sleep," Chuck said, the obvious affects of sleep very much evident in his voice.

Sarah was startled by the sudden break in the quiet she'd enjoyed for the last hour. Damn, had she really been watching Chuck for a whole hour?

"You're not sleeping now," she said defensively.

"And I attribute that to the fact that I'm being watched. It makes me uncomfortable," Chuck said. Of course, the part he wasn't telling her was that he'd gone to sleep the night before thinking about that kiss by the fountain. The feel of her lips on his, of her body pressed into him had been running through his head since it had happened. That kiss, coupled with the talk he'd had with Morgan had flipped a proverbial light switch in his head. He still had some skepticism about her motivations, but that was starting to be blocked out by thoughts of being with Sarah. Of kissing Sarah, for real. Of doing other things with Sarah that he wouldn't voice out of respect to her. He was embarrassed by those thoughts, and it made it hard to look his cover girlfriend in the eyes when he turned to face her.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said sadly. She was embarrassed that she'd been caught staring at Chuck, and it showed in the falling of her smile, and the blush of red that showed on her face. It was just so hard to look away while he was sleeping so peacefully. He always seemed to be so guarded around her, and it was only in his sleep that all of his worries seemed to melt away. He looked so happy then. Admittedly she'd been fantasizing while he'd slept that one day she could make him that happy while he was still awake.

And the kiss from the previous day did nothing to diminish those fantasies. Since she'd grabbed him and kissed him by the fountain, it had been all she'd really been able to think about. For those few moments, Chuck had allowed himself to give into her, if just a little. He'd kissed her with just as much passion as she'd kissed him. It had been the most real, romantic, mind blowing experience of her life, and she couldn't seem to put it behind her. Whenever she was near him, she just wanted to grab him and do it again, but she was scared he wouldn't take it as well this time if she did. She decided a change of subject was needed before she said or did something wholly inappropriate.

"Anyway," Sarah began. "I'm supposed to go shopping with your sister today," she reminded him.

"Yeah, I remember," Chuck replied. He was glad that Sarah had changed the subject. He needed something to take his mind off of the kiss before he said or did something inappropriate.

"I'm kind of nervous about it," Sarah admitted. Carina's advice to be more open and honest with Chuck had started to take root with Sarah. It was something small, but it was at least an admission of something real.

"Nervous? You? Why?" Chuck asked. He was worried about just why Sarah would be nervous. He didn't need a nervous agent around Ellie. He wanted to keep his sister far away from the perils of the life Chuck himself had been dragged into. If anyone should be nervous, Chuck reasoned, it should be him.

"I've never been Christmas shopping before," Sarah said. There it was: more honesty. She wasn't ready to give it all away just yet, but it did feel kind of good to let some of her feelings be known.

"Never?" Chuck asked surprised. Sarah just shook her head shyly in reply. "Then you'll have a good tutor. Ellie lives for holidays, and gift buying."

Chuck's easy reply lifted some of Sarah's tension. Everything about the conversation felt so…normal. It was almost like they were a regular couple, discussing personal issues. That excited Sarah. It also made her regret that she had to bring work up, but she needed to fill Chuck in on what was going on.

"Also, Graham wants to talk with us later today, so don't make too many plans," she said.

"The Director wants to talk with us? What about?" Chuck asked nervously.

"I'm not sure, exactly," Sarah admitted. "But from what I've been able to gather, there seems to be some changes coming to the current operation specs. I don't know what's going on, but I get the feeling that this is coming from pretty high up the ladder."

"Graham is the Director of the CIA. How much higher up the ladder does it get?" Chuck asked.

"He's got his bosses just like we all do, Chuck. This meeting, or the changes that will be discussed at the meeting I guess I should say, have the feel of possible executive involvement," Sarah explained.

"The President? The President is getting involved now? That doesn't sound like a good thing. What are they going to do with me?" Chuck asked in a panic.

"Shhh," Sarah said soothingly. "I'm sure it's nothing. Well, not nothing, but I'm sure it's not as bad as it sounds. Worst case, I figure, is they want to see the idea of a human Intersect field tested."

"And that means?" Chuck asked.

"I can't tell you for certain, but they would probably send us somewhere and have us sit in a surveillance van, ask you to watch a video feed, and see if you flash."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Chuck admitted.

"I'm sure it won't be," Sarah said. She really liked reassuring Chuck. It made her feel important. It made her feel like he needed her for something. And if she could make it so that Chuck needed her, she could become more a part of his life.

She only wised that what she was telling him was based on facts. All that she really knew was that there would be a meeting, and the bit about how there would be changes mandated by a higher authority, so Sarah was almost as much in the dark as Chuck was, and she was just as worried. What if they wanted to split her and Chuck up? What if they'd decided that a human Intersect was a bad idea? Could they even take that thing out of Chuck's head at this point? Would they even try to? Or would they have Chuck meet with an "accident" to tie up the loose ends of the project? Was she a loose end too? There were too many questions and too few answers now that she really thought about it.

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**En route to the meeting with Graham  
California, USA  
December, 2002**

Chuck and Sarah had borrowed Ellie's Volkswagen to drive to their meeting with Director Graham. After the earlier shopping trip, Ellie said she wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon with Devon, so she didn't really need her car. Sarah had been thankful, as she was still anxious about the meeting, and the long wait that a bus trip would have entailed didn't sound like something she wanted to endure. Sarah had insisted on driving, because she remembered all too well just how slow of a driver Chuck was from the road trip to Mexico. He hadn't complained, too much, though he had given Sarah crap a few times during the drive about just how aggressive she drove.

A car came across two lanes and cut them off. Chuck saw the angry look on Sarah's face, and before she could do something to get retribution on the inconsiderate driver of the other car, he decided to strike up some kind of conversation to distract her.

"So where is it we're going exactly?" Chuck asked.

"Oh, well the briefing will happen via video conference at the local CIA field office," Sarah explained.

"Oh," Chuck said disappointedly.

"What is it?" Sarah asked, concerned.

"I just thought that maybe there was some kind of secret lair hidden under a strip mall or something, I guess."

Sarah laughed. She loved the way Chuck never failed to make her do that. "You watch too many movies, Chuck. There are no secret compounds hidden under civilian shopping centers, I assure you."

"Would you tell me if there were?" Chuck asked, his voice almost accusing in nature.

Sarah is a bit taken aback by the sudden shift in Chuck's mood. She looked over at him to see if he was possibly still joking, but it was obvious from the serious expression on his face -- his mouth turned down into a frown, his eyes slightly narrowed, and kind of sad – that he wasn't.

"Um, of course I would Chuck. Why would I lie to you?" Sarah asked. She did everything she could with the words and the tone of her voice to tell Chuck that she wasn't just talking about secret CIA facilities. She didn't want to lie to him about anything. And while she might not be comfortable enough just yet to open up to him about everything, she wouldn't deny him anything he thought to ask.

Chuck thought about what Sarah had said. _Why would I lie to you?_ Well, Chuck could think of hundreds of reasons why she would lie to him. He'd thought she was lying about everything under the sun since he found out who she really was. Did she really expect him to believe that she would be up front with him?

"So you won't lie to me?" Chuck asked hesitantly. Sarah shook her head, but didn't quite make eye contact with him. "So if I were to ask you, I don't know, where you're from, you'd tell me?"

Sarah sighed. She should have expected Chuck would delve right into her history if she opened the door for him. But if she was going to be honest with him, and she planned to, then letting him know some of her history would be necessary. After all, Carina _had_ told her that she'd have to go to an uncomfortable place if she really hoped to have Chuck let her in.

"I moved around a lot as a kid. My dad worked all over the country, so it's hard to say exactly where I'm 'from', but I was born in New York, on Long Island, and I graduated high school in San Diego," she admitted.

Chuck looked at Sarah, an expression of shock on his face. He really hadn't expected her to answer him at all, but she'd gone above and beyond. He didn't think she was lying, and she'd really given him a detailed answer.

"Huh, so we have something in common then," Chuck said.

"What's that?" Sarah asked, a level of excitement creeping into her voice.

"I was originally from back east, too. I was born in Connecticut. Then my dad moved us out to Los Angeles, and we've been here ever since," Chuck said.

Sarah remained quiet for the next few minutes of the drive. She'd always been one to keep her life a secret, and to protect her past and her history from everyone, but sharing with Chuck hadn't been bad at all. It actually made her feel good. It made her feel like they were a normal couple, connecting in a normal way.

They arrived outside of the CIA building, and Chuck started to exit the car. Before he could get out, Sarah grabbed his arm. He was expecting her to tell him something about how he should behave in the building, or how he needed to keep who he was a secret. Instead, she smiled at him brightly.

"Thank you, Chuck," she said simply.

"For what?" Chuck asked.

"For being you. I've never really had someone to just talk to," she admitted shyly.

"Hey, don't mention it," Chuck said, a little embarrassed. He didn't think he'd really done that much. If anything, he'd been pretty horrible to Sarah since they'd begun their cover relationship. True, he'd been protecting himself he thought, but if she really just needed someone to talk to, that's certainly something he could have provided her with no real risk to himself.

And she'd been pretty great to him for the most part. True, she'd lied to him at first, but since then, she'd been pretty up front. Hell, she'd even put herself on the line to make sure he got to spend Christmas with his family. Being nice was the least he could do. Plus it would help ease the guilt he felt for the carnal thoughts he had held for Sarah since the kiss the previous day.

When they walked into the building, Sarah showed her credentials to the guard at the front desk. He ran everything through the system to make sure it checked out, and then he directed her to a room on the third floor of the office building.

Chuck and Sarah took their seats, and soon the video monitor at the center of the long conference room table blinked to life, bringing the meeting to order.

"Agent Walker, Mr. Bartowski, thank you both for joining me," Langston Graham spoke. "This shouldn't take much of your time, but we need to discuss the current team dynamic."

Sarah held her breath. Her worst fear at that moment was being separated from Chuck, especially now that they'd started to move their relationship in a positive direction.

"As you both know, in today's America, intelligence is more important than it has ever been. If we're going to stop another '9/11' from happening, we have to remain vigilant," Graham said as if he were reciting something that someone else had written. More than likely, he was, if the rumor that whatever this was related to was an executive order.

"I'm sorry, Director, but what does this have to do with Chuck and me?" Sarah asked with as much strength and as little emotion as she could.

Graham sighed. He removed his glasses, and remained staring down at the table in front of him for a moment, before finally looking up into the camera.

"Sarah, Omaha will no longer be a CIA-only venture. The President has ordered that all of the intelligence agencies 'play nice', as it were."

"So that means…?"

"That means that for the foreseeable future, Mr. Bartowski will remain an asset. The NSA now has a say in this operation, and there will be no personnel changes or additions without their approval. You'll also more than likely be getting an NSA liaison. I haven't spoken to General Beckman yet to know who she'll be sending, but it's something you should be prepared for."

"And what does this mean for my partnership with Agent Walker?" Chuck asked, speaking for the first time during the briefing.

"Well Mr. Bartowski, you two seem to work well together, so for the time being, you'll remain as you are. Agent Walker will stay on as your handler, and your bodyguard. If things go as I anticipate, we may make the arrangement more permanent," Graham said.

"Permanent, sir?" Sarah asked. She couldn't really believe what she was hearing. Her boss was basically making Chuck hers, for life. She wouldn't have to worry about reassignment, and she wouldn't have to worry about being fired. For all intents and purposes, Graham was telling Chuck and Sarah that they should get used to one another. Hell, they may as well be married with no chance of divorce.

"Yes, permanent. Now, if there are no other questions?" Graham terminated the connection, leaving a stunned Sarah in his wake.

Sarah was thrilled. It was the best news she'd gotten…maybe ever. Given time, Chuck would have to come around eventually, wouldn't he? Admittedly, the thought that he might not freaked her out a little. Permanent meant forever, and as much as she liked Chuck, forever was a long time. And if Chuck never actually took an interest in her, she'd still have to be with him for life. Every day she'd be reminded of what she couldn't have. But then, at this point, she wouldn't want anyone else handling his security either. No one else would really look out for him. She was the only one that had Chuck's best interest at heart, and he needed her. Sarah was torn as how to react, but at least at this point, the positives seemed to far outweigh the negatives.

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**On the way back to Ellie's apartment  
California, USA  
December, 2002**

Sarah had been even quieter than normal since they'd left the meeting, causing a number of not-so-pleasant thoughts to pass through Chuck's head. Was she upset that she was going to be stuck with him? Was there more to what was said that he didn't really understand?

"Are you alright?" Chuck asked, hoping to get the answers to some of his questions.

"What?" Sarah asked startled. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she said distractedly.

"You're not acting fine," Chuck observed. "Look, I'm sorry that you're going to be stuck with me."

Sarah looked over at him, and at first, she didn't know what to say. Sure, she had reservations about the changes in her assignment, but those were her issues. It had nothing to do with Chuck. And he shouldn't feel bad about it. Although, he could make it easier on her if he'd just give in to her advances. That would really make all of her reservations disappear.

"I'm not unhappy with being paired with you, Chuck," she explained. "That's what I wanted, anyway. I'm just –"

"Freaked out by the word permanent?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah," Sarah admitted. The part she didn't tell him was that permanent didn't freak her out nearly as much as she thought it should for a twenty-two year old young woman with her whole life ahead of her. In fact, if they were a real couple, she wouldn't be freaked out at all.

"Don't worry, that kind of scares me a little, too. I mean, we're young, and forever is a long time," he said as if he was reading Sarah's thoughts.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "Thank you for understanding," she said softly.

"Hey, if we're going to be together that long, we really need to learn to communicate, so I figured that would be a good start."

By the time Chuck finished what he was saying, he realized that Sarah's eyes had left his, and she seemed to be focused on the rearview mirror.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"That car has been following us since we left the complex," Sarah said, not taking her eyes off the mirror. "God, I should have noticed before now. Listen, hold on tight, I'm going to try to lose them."

Sarah gunned the accelerator in the VW Jetta. She weaved in and out of traffic trying to shake the tail, but it was useless. Whoever was following them clearly knew what they were doing. Soon, the black SUV behind them seemed to realize that they'd been made, however, and the driver began to work his way towards the next exit.

"Hold on!" Sarah shouted.

"What? Why do I—"

Chuck's words were cut off by fear as Sarah jerked the car nearly completely around and across three lanes of traffic. He yelped in surprise as the blonde began to speed up the off-ramp. Apparently the hunted had become the hunters.

"Where are we going?" Chuck shouted.

"We need to see who was following us," Sarah said, not taking her eyes off the vehicle in front of them.

"So you're going to run them down and ask them nicely what they wanted?"

Sarah laughed mirthlessly. "Not exactly," she explained.

The black SUV sped through the busy city street, Chuck and Sarah in hot pursuit. The CIA agent got stuck behind a car at a stoplight, but not before she saw the target turn into what appeared to be an abandoned industrial complex. When the light turned green, Sarah slowly drove onto the grounds that she'd seen the SUV enter minutes earlier.

"Chuck," Sarah said unbuckling her seatbelt and pulling her firearm from the center console. "I'm going to investigate the building. If I'm not back in ten minutes, you take the car and haul ass back to your place. Keep the doors locked, and Chuck?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"Stay in the car."

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_A/N: Aaaahh. I love first times. Don't you? You had to know the "stay in the car" line was coming at some point. After all, this wouldn't be much of a "Chuck" fic without that line, haha. The question is, will Chuck listen to Sarah's instructions? Well, once again, I think you know the answer to that question. But how long will it take him to abandon his position? Guess we'll see in the next chapter. Thank you so much for taking the time to read, and I look forward to your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	15. Captain Obvious

_Disclaimer: It's been awhile since I've updated anything, so I feel the need to remind you that I don't own Chuck. You know, in case you forgot or something._

_A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry for the delay, but for whatever reason, writing has been hard for me lately. And I certainly don't want to put out rushed, less than quality content, so I just let the writers' block wear off, and then went back to it. Hopefully this chapter will be worth your wait. A huge thanks as always to the great __**MXPW **__for some stellar input on this chapter. He had some great ideas that certainly helped improve this one. And by the way, in case you missed it, he updated his amazing fic __**Chuck vs. The Double Agent **__yesterday, and the new chapter is great, just as the rest of that fic has been. If you haven't read it, or if you've fallen behind, you should totally go check up on it today! Also I want to give a shout to the incredible __**Mikki13**__. What little writing motivation I've had lately has gone towards doing a collaboration piece with her, that I think most of you will really like. So keep an eye out for that. Oh, and check out her other work too. You won't regret it, especially if you like Chuck and Sarah doing the deed, as it were. Finally a shout out to __**Poa**__, who has been a HUGE supporter of this piece. She knows what's coming in this chapter, but still I hope she enjoys it. Thank you for all the support! Now, without further ado, let me catch you up on what's happening:

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_Previously in __**"Chuck the College Years":**__ Sarah and Chuck have been ordered into a permanent "partnership" by Director Graham, and Graham has informed them that the NSA is now involved in the Intersect project. On their way back from the meeting, Sarah notices a black SUV following them, and then break off. She begins to chase the SUV and the chase ends at a warehouse. Sarah tells Chuck to stay in the car, and goes to investigate.

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**Chapter 15: Captain Obvious**

**Sarah's Story**

Sarah slowly opened a door the apparently abandoned warehouse. She craned her neck and peeked inside, keeping her back flat against the wall. She didn't see anyone, and the room was nearly pitch-black. Using the little bit of light that filtered into the room from the outside, she scoped out a set of crates about twenty yards away. If she stayed low, she thought she could make it to the crates unnoticed by anyone inside in about three seconds.

Sarah took a deep breath and prepared for the sprint. She let the door shut gently behind her and took off, on a dead run for the crates. She settled down under her cover, and listened out for any sign of people moving around in the building. She didn't hear anything yet, except her own heartbeat, which was wild with the excitement of her current situation.

This was just the type of thing her training had prepared her for. It certainly was more familiar and comfortable than the emotional rollercoaster she'd been on with Chuck for the past few months. But the rush, however exhilarating it was, was actually similar to what she felt when she was around Chuck. Only now, failure didn't mean absolute heartbreak. It would mean death. Somehow, death didn't seem like as bad of a risk.

As her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, Sarah saw signs of movement from a side entrance. Staying low, she began to move in the direction of the disturbance. But then, at the last moment, she saw movement from behind her. She tried to duck back behind her cover, but it was too late. She'd been spotted.

A shot rang out. Then another. Sarah didn't know how many people were in the building with her, but one thing she was sure of was that there was more than one, and that she was in trouble.

At first, she didn't shoot back. She didn't want to do anything to further give away her position. Then the shots came closer and closer to where she was, and she knew it was a lost cause to try to stay hidden. Peeking over the crate, she fired three quick shots out into the darkness. She didn't think it would hit anyone, but if nothing else, it would provide her cover until…

Until what? There was no one coming to help her. She'd told Chuck to run if she didn't come back. Surely he'd listen to that order, and no one would come for her. The realization started to set in for Sarah that she was probably going to die in that warehouse.

Sarah closed her eyes, and thoughts of all the things she'd be missing out on, all the things she'd never experienced started flooding through her mind. First she thought about her dad, and how she'd never see him again. He might not have always been the greatest father, but he was all she had in the world. Then she thought about Chuck. Chuck, the guy that she had developed real feelings for. He was the first person that had ever been able to reach her on that level, and now, she'd never get to explore what could have been between them.

And there were so many things she wanted to experience. She wanted to really get to know him, and to learn to open up to him. She wanted to know what it felt like to be loved like she knew Chuck could love her. There was just something special between them. At least it was special to Sarah. She'd never been in "love" before, but she imagined it felt a lot like she felt for Chuck. She wanted to know what it was like to be a real girlfriend, in a real relationship, and maybe one day even more. And she wanted to make love to Chuck, making him the first man she would have ever been with. As it was, she'd have to die without knowing any of those things.

_Dammit, I'm going to die a virgin. How pathetic am I?_

True, Carina claimed to be her one sexual experience, but that was only a fuzzy memory, and from what she could remember, calling it sex was almost a stretch. Technically, it counted, she supposed, even if Sarah herself didn't really participate, but if she'd ever been with Chuck, she'd have still considered him her "first". And she'd have told him that he was her first.

And damn him, he could have been. If he'd just let things go further any of the times she'd tried to go there with him. If he'd have just given in, it would have at least been one thing that she'd not missed out on in her life. But now, she was going to die sexless and unloved, and it was all Chuck's fault.

"If he was here right now, I'd kick his ass," Sarah whispered to herself.

Just then, Sarah heard footsteps approach from behind her. She was still ducked behind the crates that she'd used for cover, but she knew whoever it was would soon find her. She took aim at the opening to her position, and prepared to fire. Whoever found her might kill her or capture her, but she'd make sure it was a bad day for at least one person. But just as she began to squeeze the trigger, and send whoever it was to the afterworld, a sense of recognition passed over her. A tall, lanky frame. Curly, slightly mussed hair. And then he spoke.

"Sarah?" Chuck asked in a whisper.

"Chuck?" Sarah whispered angrily. "What the hell are you doing in here?" And before he could answer she grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him behind the crates to hide with her.

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**Chuck's Story**

Chuck watched as Sarah crossed the parking lot and very cautiously entered the building. Once she was out of sight, he turned his attention back to the main road to make sure no one else came from behind that could cause her trouble. Not that he knew what he would do if someone _did_ come. It wasn't as if they had any line of communication, and she'd told him with no room for negotiation that he was to stay in the car. And he completely intended to do just that. He would stay in the car.

Three minutes passed. Then four. Then five. Still, he hadn't heard anything from Sarah, and she was still in the building. He was worried about her, but surely she could take care of herself. He began to fiddle with the radio, but then deciding that blasting music probably wasn't the best way to stay hidden, stopped. Six minutes passed, still no sign of Sarah.

Then he heard it. A gunshot. Then another. Then another. There were lots of gunshots. Chuck was even more worried about Sarah than he was before. Could she be shot? Could she be bleeding to death in that building with no one to help? Suddenly, Chuck _really_ wanted to get out and go see if he could help. But he resisted. After all, there wasn't a whole lot he could do for her against bad guys with guns.

The urge to run into the building grew as the clock ticked to seven minutes, then eight minutes since Sarah had gone in and the gunshots continued. Still he refrained from giving into his impulses. That is, until he saw a white delivery van pull into the ware house. That was the last straw. He had to help Sarah.

Chuck exited the car, closing the door softly behind him. He moved as stealthily as he could -- which was still rather conspicuous – across the empty parking lot. Opening the door Sarah had entered just minutes before slightly, he saw muzzle flash after muzzle flash as the shots continued to reign. But with the light filtering in from the door he held slightly ajar, he could see just a hint of blonde hair ducked behind some shipping crates.

Chuck ducked as low as he could ran on his tip-toes over to where he saw Sarah.

"Sarah?" Chuck whispered. It was only then that he noticed her gun pointed directly at him. He did his best to swallow back his fear, but being held at gunpoint wasn't exactly something he was prepared for.

"Chuck? What the hell are you doing in here?" Sarah asked, also in a whisper and clearly upset.

But before he could think of an answer, some reason as to why he had directly disobeyed her orders, she grabbed him and pulled him with her behind the crates.

"Answer me!" Sarah demanded. "Did I not tell you to stay in the car? And if I wasn't back, I believe my instructions were to haul ass?"

"Yeah, see, um, I remember you saying that, but –"

"But nothing Chuck!" Sarah said. "You are too important to risk yourself."

"But you were in trouble," Chuck said defensively.

"Yeah, I was. And I still _am_ in trouble. And now, because you didn't listen, you're in trouble too!"

"I'm sorry I didn't listen, but I just," Chuck stopped and looked away. "I didn't want anything to happen to you."

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**Chuck and Sarah's Story**

Sarah was touched that Chuck showed that kind of compassion for her. That he cared enough about her to run into a building, ignoring the gunshots that were going on around him, just to try to protect her. But she was still angry. She was angry that Chuck had risked himself, going completely against what she'd told him to do. She was angry with him because when the situation resolved itself, which would ultimately be with her death, she would die without ever having been with him. And she was angry at herself for getting caught in this situation, and for caring so much about what she'd be missing out on. She was just angry in general, and she couldn't exactly yell at herself, so Chuck would have to take the punishment for both of them.

"Well thanks a lot, Chuck. You were really a big help," she said sarcastically. "Now I won't have to die alone. Way to be a hero."

Chuck was taken aback by Sarah's biting sarcasm. He knew she'd be upset that he left the car, but he hadn't expected her to be _this_ upset. It almost seemed as though there was something else going on. Something else that was pissing her off. _Well, Chuck. The thought of dying can do that to people_.

"I really am sorry, Sarah. I saw another van pull in, and I thought you might be overwhelmed. And I just," he swallowed hard. "I just wanted you to be okay."

How could she stay made at him after that? He cared about her more than his own personal safety. That was by far the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. But wait. There was another van?

"There was another van?" she asked.

"Yeah, a white van. The windows were tinted, so I couldn't see the driver, but I didn't feel like going and asking if they were on our side. Wait. Do you think he's on our side?"

"I doubt it, Chuck. We didn't call in for backup. Which is my mistake, and I'm sorry. But we're," she swallowed back the lump in her throat. "If they were coming to help us, they'd be here by now. And it was just one van. There's too many of them for just one van to even be able to help us."

Chuck sighed, defeated. "Sarah, can I tell you something? You know, before?"

She nodded. Their time was running out, and she might as well hear what Chuck had to say.

"I just wanted to say that, there are a lot of things that I regret." He began to play with his hands, unable to look at Sarah as he confessed. "I regret that I never got to say goodbye to my sister and Morgan. I regret that I never got to graduate. I regret that I'll never get to race in America's Cup."

Sarah eyed him skeptically. "You sail?"

Chuck grinned sheepishly. "Well, no, but I could have learned."

Sarah smiled, sharing a quiet mutual laugh with Chuck, until her face became more serious. She didn't know if she should ask him or not, but considering they didn't have much more time, she figured she might as well. "So, do you regret meeting me?" she asked sadly.

Chuck looked at her indignantly, not knowing how she could even think that, but seeing that she was serious, and more so that she was in a very vulnerable position emotionally, his expression softened. "Sarah, since I found who you were, or who you really were, I've been very guarded around you. So all the time we've spent together, I've been constantly trying to deny that I've been enjoying it, which I have. But no Sarah, I don't regret meeting you. The only thing I regret is," he stopped, lifting her chin softly to meet his gaze. "I regret that I never trusted you. I regret that I never gave you a chance, gave _us_ a chance."

Sarah's brow crinkled as she digested what Chuck told her. Then it hit her. Or at least what she _thought_ he meant hit her. She looked at him hopefully. "You mean, sex?"

Chuck had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. To be a trained killer and a bad ass, she could be adorable when she showed her cluelessness about things like relationships. "Well, I meant as a real couple. Me your real boyfriend, you my real girlfriend. And, yes, I'm sure sex would be involved too."

Sarah thought once again about what Chuck had said. He wanted her? He wanted to be in a real relationship with her? He liked her? He wanted to have sex with her? Then a determined spark shown in her bright blue eyes, making them appear darker, almost indigo instead of their natural azure hue. "To hell with this, I'm going to live" she said determinedly. "Chuck, come on," she whispered, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet.

"Where-"

"Shhh!" Sarah warned. "We have to go. And be quiet." She turned and fired the final two shots she had away from the enemy collective, hoping it would draw them to another part of the warehouse and allow their escape.

They were almost to the door, only a few feet left when a large figure stepped into the warehouse and pointed his gun at them.

"Dammit!" Sarah cursed. They'd been caught.

* * *

**Bryce and Jill's Story**

The call came in just as Chuck and Sarah left the CIA complex, so Bryce took it, and told Jill to drive. It was Orion. The call was brief, just long enough for the computer genius to tell Bryce that the new Intersect Cube was complete, and that he was ready to escape. He just needed a small distraction to get out. That's where Bryce and Jill came in.

When the call ended, the GPS installed onto the phone Orion had arranged the pair began directing them to the Intersect location.

"We need to take the next exit," Bryce said.

Jill followed instructions and exited the freeway. Unfortunately, the Jetta they had been following previously seemed to notice their presence. As they made their way up the off-ramp, the Volkswagen slammed on brakes behind them, spinning around, cutting across lanes of traffic, and began following them.

"Shit!" Bryce shouted, slamming his hand on the dashboard. "You let them see us!"

"I did not!" Jill said defensively.

"Oh, really? Because it seems like they're following us now. Take this left."

Jill roared through the turn, her eyes burning with anger at Bryce's attack. "Well maybe _you_ should have driven. I'm sure Bryce the great wouldn't have gotten us made. Remind me again how Chuck got involved in this to begin with?"

"Remind _me_ why Chuck was vulnerable to seduction in the first place?" Bryce growled.

"Well if you'd just let me kill that bitch already, we wouldn't be in this mess now," Jill said.

"Yeah, because there are no holes in _that_ plan. And anyway, I don't think you could kill anyone."

"I could kill you if don't stop acting like a smartass," Jill growled under her breath.

"What was that?" Bryce asked.

"Nothing," Jill mumbled. "Where are we going?"

Bryce forced himself to calm down. He didn't see Chuck and Sarah behind them anymore, and he hoped that they'd lost them. "Here, right up here. Turn in here, and it's in that warehouse," he said, pointing to a desolate looking industrial complex.

"Ugh," Jill groaned, taking in the sight of the facility. "Could they have been a little more conspicuous and cliché?"

"Well, you're the one that used to work for them," Bryce said with a smirk.

Jill ignored his verbal jab, and pulled into the building he'd told her was their target. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"Cause a distraction," Bryce said simply.

* * *

**Orion's Story**

Steve heard a commotion in the front of the warehouse that Fulcrum had placed him in to complete the new Intersect. It was a little ahead of schedule, and he didn't think Bryce and Jill should have made their move yet, so he pulled up the surveillance of the building that he'd long since tapped into.

The visual surprised him. It wasn't Bryce and Jill at all that were causing such a ruckus. It was Walker, the blonde CIA agent that had been inseparable from Chuck over the past few months. Maybe this plan would work even better than expected. If the agent got herself captured or killed, getting Chuck out of the agency's grasp would be easier than anticipated.

Then he saw movement in another part of the building. Sure enough, it was his team, Bryce and Jill, making their move. Orion quickly began packing away the things he'd need to take with him. The Intersect Cube was first and foremost, as that was the device he needed to remove the curse from Chuck's head that had been placed there by the CIA. He also packed a number of computer components, and monitoring devices he'd been toying with. No need to lose the work he'd put in over the months in Fulcrum containment.

Steve then, with all of his things packed, and Fulcrum distracted by the two intrusions, crept quietly from the room in the back of the warehouse where he'd been for weeks. He sent a quick text to Bryce to let him know he could bail when ready, and continued on his way out of the facility.

If the man known as Orion had watched the monitor for a minute longer, however, he would have seen his son come into the building to try to save his CIA handler. He then would have seen the two begin to flee, only to be cut off at the door by a large imposing man wielding a gun.

* * *

**Casey's Story**

It had been a long week. Well, the whole week hadn't been bad. Monday found him in the mountains of Afghanistan with his team, searching out terrorists, and doing what he did best. That was the kind of mission he lived for. But then Tuesday came, and the order to report back to Fort Meade came with it.

When he arrived back in Maryland late Tuesday night, he'd been debriefed on his time in the Middle East, and immediately brought up to speed on another project. Apparently General Beckman had gotten wind that the NSA would soon be involved in an operation that had previously been all CIA. Made sense to Casey that the head brass would want someone capable involved with what seemed to be an important venture.

What he hadn't expected was to be sent to sunny Southern California to run surveillance on two morons: one moron college kid, and a moron rookie CIA skirt. Apparently the guy, Charles I. Bartowski was really the target, well no, the subject. Thinking of him as a target would end poorly. But in any case, Charles was to be watched with an eagle eye to make sure he didn't get himself into any trouble.

And unfortunately for Captain John Casey of the National Security Agency, the nerdy kid didn't seem to get into _any_ trouble, which meant a very boring mission for Casey. It was Los Angeles for crying out loud. Couldn't Charles at least get mugged to give Casey _something_ to do? But nope. He was stuck watching, and listening to the CIA girl fawn all over the asset. Casey knew that it had been a seduction mission for the girl from the start, but damn if she wasn't taking it to heart.

Then the third day of "Nerd Watch '02", as Casey had taken to calling his latest gig began. It started just like every other day. He listened in to the bugs he'd planted in the apartment of Charles's sister in the morning. Nothing substantial was said except that Walker let Bartowski know that they had to meet with Graham. No doubt they were being told about the NSA's involvement.

Later in the afternoon, Walker and Bartowski headed to a CIA complex to be read in on the change in the operation. During the drive, Casey had been forced to listen to enough lady feelings to almost make him physically ill. When his two charges made their way back out of the facility, they'd started driving back to the apartment.

But a funny thing happened along the way. Now, there seemed to be a black SUV tailing the couple. Whoever was at the wheel of the SUV certainly didn't know what they were doing, and that was evidenced when the rookie agent that was with the Intersect swerved the Jetta she was driving around to follow the vehicle that had been following.

Casey didn't know who it was that was tracking the movement of the pair he'd been sent to watch, but he was more than a little excited that at last there might be some action. Maybe some gun-play.

When the Volkswagen pulled into the warehouse that the SUV had disappeared into minutes earlier, Casey was at least mildly impressed that the dumb blonde had the wherewithal to demand the asset stay in the car. Well, the Captain wasn't there to protect the girl, so when she went into the building, he stayed outside in the white surveillance van, which was a poor substitute for his beloved "Vicky" the Crown Victoria, to make sure Bartowski was safe and no one bothered him.

Then the moron had been, well, a moron and left the car. Casey cursed under his breath and made to follow the boy into the building. As he approached the unmistakable sound of gunfire could be heard. Suddenly, Casey felt right at home. He pulled his Sig Sauer from his shoulder holster, held it down by his side, and prepared to enter. He prepared for battle.

Just as he opened the door and watched as the blonde CIA skirt fired off her final two shots as a distraction and she and the nerd began to run towards the exit. Well, no better time to make contact like the present, he reasoned.

Just as the pair were about to exit the building, Casey stepped through the door, pointing his weapon between the two of them. He saw the look of fear and defeat in the eyes of the CIA agent, and that made him feel all giddy inside. It never hurt to know that he could still strike fear into the hearts of other spies.

"Dammit!" he heard the girl say. And he laughed.

"Come with me if you want to live," he said, not dropping his gun to make sure the girl didn't try to fight him.

"Where are we going?" Bartowski asked in a nasally, girly voice.

"I'm Captain John Casey, NSA, and I'm here to save you," Casey said gruffly.

"Are you here with Ben Kenobi?" Charles said, chuckling.

The blonde clearly didn't get the reference, as she wore a very confused expression as she stared at the nerd. Casey got it, but he wasn't impressed.

"Just bring your asses on," Casey said in a growl.

* * *

_Next time in __**"Chuck the College Years"**__: The newly form, or reformed, Team Bartowski gets assigned a mission. How will Chuck handle the field work? How will Sarah handle Chuck having to do field work? How will Casey handle being around two morons that are all googly eyed over one another?

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_A/N: Once again, I'd like to apologize for the wait, and while I won't guarantee it won't happen again, you have my word that I'll do my best to be more prompt with the updates. Thank you so much for reading, and please review. I look forward to your feedback, and you guys are awesome. Peace. _


	16. A Plane to Nowhere

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Chuck. The concepts and characters belong to people far more intelligent than myself. And I'm jealous of those people. Almost as jealous as I am of Chuck in this particular story, haha. _

_A/N: Bet 'ya thought I forgot, huh? Well I didn't, and this little alternate timeline (I'm not sure it qualifies as alternate universe, because things aren't quite all that different…things just came to pass earlier. That's timeline, right?) story continues! Thank you so much, first of all, for all the people that took time to review the last chapter. It was the most reviewed chapter of any serial I've ever written, and it really, really made me happy. Also a large dept of gratitude is owed the talented **MXPW** for some excellent advice on this chapter. He helped me to see that some things weren't as clear to the reader as I'd wanted them to be, and for that, I think the chapter is infinitely better. You know where you never run into issues like things not being clear? Well in his story "Chuck vs. The Double Agent", of course. It's an excellent read, and if you're not reading it, then you're missing out. Also, keep a heads up for an upcoming collaboration piece done by me and the amazing **Mikki13**. It was an honor to work with her, and I think you guys will like what we'll have for you. If you haven't read any of her stuff lately (and I can't imagine that you haven't!), then I would highly suggest you spend a little time doing that. Okay, that's all from me, for now. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I look forward to your feedback. That's my passive aggressive way of saying "please review", by the way. Thanks!_

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**_Previously on _****Chuck the College Years**_: Casey rescued Chuck and Sarah from the warehouse. Now things are set to change for Chuck. The team is formed, but they have a long way to go to be an actual team. Chuck and Sarah, thinking they were about to die, confessed to having feelings for one another. Things between them could be awkward now that everything is on the table._

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**Chapter 16: A Plane to Nowhere**

**CIA Headquarters  
Langley, Virginia, USA  
December, 2002**

Graham had gone for lunch after his teleconference with Walker and Bartowski. He still wasn't sure how that whole situation was going to play out, and he couldn't be until he met with Beckman. They had an appointment set for the following Monday to go through all of the particulars of how things were going to go with the Intersect Project moving forward. If history was an indicator of how that meeting would go, Beckman would insist on her own methods for handing things, and wouldn't compromise to allow for Graham's vision of the operation to take shape. Diane was a ruthless negotiator, and never really gave into anyone else's desires. God, how he hated that bitch.

That's why displeasure accompanied his surprise when he walked back into his office to find the NSA General sitting and awaiting his return.

"What can I do for you, Diane?" Graham asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry to drop by on such short notice," the diminutive woman said. The smirk she wore on her face did not attest to any actual regret. "It seems, however, that things have changed with Project Omaha."

"How's that?" Graham asked flatly. The quicker he could get this conversation over with, the quicker he could get that woman out of his office and begin to enjoy the rest of his day.

"My guy on the scene has made contact with your agent, and the asset," Beckman explained.

"What?!" Graham growled. "Why did he do that?"

"He did that, because your operative is an incompetent rookie that got herself in trouble," she answered.

"What kind of trouble?" Graham asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Apparently, your Agent Walker noticed a tail, and when said tail broke off pursuit, she followed it to an unknown building. She and the asset got pinned down, and it was up to _my_ Captain John Casey to extract them," Beckman said. "Oh, and we got this photo from outside the complex," she added, sliding a picture across the desk.

Graham studied the picture. There was little doubt as to who the picture was of. It was Bryce Larkin, Bartowski's girlfriend, and Orion. Dammit, his balls were really in a vice grip on this one.

"I believe that's one of your agents as well. Oh, and some girl with connections to the Intersect. And who's the older man? Oh, yeah. That's a rogue CIA tech. Seems to me, your agency has done nothing but fuck this operation up from the beginning," Beckman gloated.

Graham sighed. He really didn't have any leverage in the situation. If things had unfolded as he'd been told, and he had no reason to believe that they hadn't, then his agent was to blame for placing the human Intersect in danger. On top of that, two of his people were involved in whatever trouble Sarah had gotten herself and her asset into. That's not exactly a position of power with which to start from. "So where do we go from here?" he asked, defeated.

"The field," Beckman said plainly.

"What?!" Graham asked. "But he's not trained!"

"No, he's not," Beckman said, clearly savoring her "Queen of the Mountain" position. "But we'll ease him into it. And we have your agent there to protect him. That is, if she's capable."

Graham knew he was being played for a reaction, but still, he wouldn't have his people questioned by this bitch. "Agent Walker is my most promising young agent. She's my hand-picked protégé. She's more than capable of keeping Bartowski upright and functioning."

Beckman smirked again. "Then we shouldn't have a problem."

* * *

**Two days later…**

Chuck stared out the window of the plane at the clouds below. Lost in thought, he barely registered his blonde bodyguard, who was sleeping soundly, snuggle up to him.

His life had changed so much over the past few months. Just three months prior, he'd been an average college senior, with an average best friend, and a normal, albeit slightly bitchy girlfriend. He'd been on a plane exactly once in his life, and he was so young back then that he barely even remembered it.

Then things had gotten wacky. He'd gone on a road trip with his average bitchy girlfriend Jill, who'd turned out to be a spy with rogue connections; his average best friend Bryce, who'd turned out to also be a rogue spy; and his average best friend's average, but hot girlfriend Sarah, who'd turned out to be a _good_ spy.

The good spy had tried to seduce him, then whisked him away to Washington to meet with her superiors, where he had the entirety of the United States intelligence database downloaded into his head. After that, he'd gone back to school with the good spy as his protector. Only, along the way, she'd somehow developed feelings for him, which she'd admitted after countless attempts to get him into bed, and a near death experience.

He'd also met another spy, this one not so nice, but apparently a good guy as well. Captain John Casey of the NSA was nothing if not dedicated to his job, but still Chuck didn't see why he had to be so ill-tempered all the time. Still, the man made his entrance into Chuck's life by saving Chuck _and_ Sarah, so it was hard to complain about him too much.

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_Casey led the way out of the warehouse, and Chuck and Sarah wordlessly followed. Chuck was very wary of their current plan of attack: following the stranger that had rescued them. But Sarah was going along with the man, and if she was going, then Chuck was going. Besides, it was better, he reasoned, to follow the stranger that had saved them then to follow the strangers that had been shooting at them._

_Finally the reached what was apparently their destination. It was a non-descript white deliver van, and not the Jetta Chuck and Sarah had arrived in. _

"_Get in," Casey ordered gruffly. _

"_What? Just like that? Get in?" Chuck asked, drawing a low growl from Casey. _

"_Yeah, he has a point," Sarah said. "How do we know you're not going to kill us?"_

_Chuck was relieved that his protector was thinking along the same lines he was. It was never fun to be the lone conspiracy theorist. _

"_You don't," Casey said with a shrug. "But if I was going to kill you, I probably would've done it back in the warehouse."_

_Chuck and Sarah looked at one another, non-verbal communication passing between them that the guy had a point. Besides, he had a loaded weapon, and they had nothing. It's not exactly as if they could go against his wishes if they wanted to. _

"_So what about my sister's car?" Chuck asked._

"_I've got a cleaner crew coming in. They'll bring the car back to you," the Captain explained. "Now if you'd quit with the damn talking, we have somewhere to be."_

"_Where?" Chuck asked. _

"_General Beckman needs to be made aware that I've made contact with you two," Casey explained. Then, leaving no more room for conversation, he walked around to the driver's seat. _

"_Who's General Beckman?" Chuck asked, climbing into the van._

"_She's some NSA big shot," Sarah answered, climbing in behind Chuck and sliding the van door closed. _

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After meeting Casey in the dramatic and thrilling way that he had, he'd been taken to a video conference with Director Langston Graham, who was Sarah's boss, and General Diane Beckman, head of the NSA and Casey's boss.

While Graham had been in favor of bringing Chuck along slowly, allowing him to finish school, and then training him as an actual spy, Beckman had balked at the idea. If someone was going to be carrying around all of the nation's secrets, she'd explained, then she wanted that person to be out in the field and doing some good.

So Beckman assigned the newly minted "Team Intersect", as she called it, to head out on their first mission. They were headed to some country called Costa Gavras in South America to do surveillance on and possible assassination of the fascist dictator of that country.

Each team member – Casey, Sarah, and Chuck – had their role to play. Chuck was supposed to view things from afar, and "flash", as they called it, on anything that could provide detail on their situation. Sarah was supposed to stay by Chuck's side at all times and make sure the Intersect stayed safe. She hadn't argued at all with her role. In fact, she'd been quite emphatic with her approval of that idea. Casey was the muscle of the team. When Chuck told him who the bad guy was, it was Casey's job to apprehend, or dispose of said bad guy.

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_Casey led Chuck and Sarah into a room at a very nondescript motel. They were both still very much on their guard, and Chuck was ready to scream for help at the first sign of things not being on the level. But when they entered the room, the television was on, and the image of Director Graham accompanied by some very important looking woman in military dress was on it. The tension between the two superior officers was obvious even through the video feed, but for whatever reason, Graham didn't seem to speak his mind much at all. _

"_General," Casey spoke gruffly. "I brought them here as you requested."_

"_Very good, Captain Casey," the woman, who Chuck assumed was General Beckman, spoke. "Agent Walker, Mr. Bartowski, it's a pleasure to finally meet the two of you." Chuck couldn't help but notice that she didn't seem that pleased at all. "Originally, we'd planned to hold off on furthering this project, but since you've made contact with Agent Casey, and since you're here, we'll go ahead and proceed."_

"_I'm sorry, proceed?" Chuck asked. "What are we proceeding with, exactly?"_

_The General rolled her eyes. "The potential of a human Intersect is unknown. The only way we can judge its effectiveness is to test it in the field."_

_Chuck leaned close to Sarah, and whispered in her ear. "Is she talking about me? I'm a person, you know?"_

_Casey cleared his throat, causing the attention of the youngest two members of the party to look up at him as he glared at them harshly, causing Chuck to still and murmur an apology._

"_As I was saying," Beckman said, clearly annoyed. "We need to test the field abilities of the Intersect, so in two days, this team will have its first mission."_

"_Um, Miss," Chuck started, eliciting a growl from Casey. "I'm sorry, Mrs.?" And Casey growled again. "Mrs. General?"_

"_What is it now, Mr. Bartowski?" Beckman barked._

"_Oh, yeah, um, I was just wondering," he said and paused, collecting his courage. "I was wondering if maybe, if, well, I'm supposed to be spending the holiday with my sister, but if I'm going to be away…"_

"_If things go as planned, you'll be back before Christmas, Mr. Bartowski," Beckman said as though she were speaking to a small child. _

"_And if they don't go as planned?" Chuck asked. _

_Beckman looked at him for a moment, and the expression on her face made Chuck glad that looks actually couldn't kill, because he was pretty sure he'd have fallen victim to the heated glare General Beckman was giving him. _

"_Moving on," Beckman said, ignoring his question. "This is your mark…"_

**

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In theory, it all seemed pretty simple. Chuck just had to flash and stay safe. And he had Sarah to keep him extra safe. Somehow, he knew things wouldn't go quite like that, however. After all, nothing so far in his short lived career as a spy had gone according to plan. Why would it start to now?

The first major complication was apparent from his current position, he realized, looking down at the woman that was charged with protecting his life at all costs. True, the affection she was showing him felt nice. Better than nice, in fact. He couldn't believe that such a smart, beautiful woman would be so into him. He'd once thought he'd won some kind of lottery when Jill agreed to go out with him, but Sarah was on another level. Not from a physical beauty standpoint. After all, Jill could hold her own against anyone when it came to looks, and choosing between Jill and Sarah was like choosing which gourmet dish you liked better. It was all a matter of taste. But Sarah, she was so much more. She was a spy for cripes sakes. That in and of itself put her out of his league, he thought.

But that was the problem. When they'd thought they were going to die, and Chuck had admitted to having feelings for her, he'd meant it. Now they'd made it out alive, and he would have to live with the consequences of that confession. Would she want him to be her boyfriend? Well, of course she would. She'd made that much clear back in the warehouse. But could he do that? Could he jump into a new relationship so soon after Jill? And it was one thing to say you wished you'd trusted someone as you were both about to die, but to actually trust them knowing you would continue living was another thing altogether. Especially when the one you were trying to trust was someone that once told you that you couldn't trust her.

Then there was the issue of how he would act towards her if they _were_ in a relationship. It was her job, her duty to protect him at all costs. That meant that she might have to lay down her life for his at some point. But he cared about her. Could he really stand by and let her die for him? Somehow, he didn't think so. He'd lost too many important people in his twenty-two years on the earth. He wasn't going to willingly let another leave him without fighting for her.

And that was just the beginning of the complications. When it had just been Graham in charge of the operation, any fraternization between Chuck and Sarah had not only been accepted, but it had be expected. Now Beckman was involved, and she had her errand boy running behind them to make sure everything was on the up-and-up. How would they handle that situation? And could they even trust Captain Casey? Only time would tell, but Chuck was uneasy about everything to say the least.

Chuck felt Sarah begin to stir against him. She looked so adorable when she was waking up, which was odd, given that he knew how deadly she probably was. Still he couldn't help but admire her as her eyes opened half way and she looked up at him with a sleepy smile as she stretched.

"Get a good nap?" he asked.

"The best," she replied, a contented grin on her face.

Then Sarah seemed to study his face for a moment. Chuck knew that she could sense the tension that he was holding. He was never very good at concealing his emotions, and certainly he couldn't hide them from someone that was trained to pick up on such things.

"What's wrong?" she asked, mellowing from her previously happy state.

"Nothing," he lied.

"Chuck…" she drawled.

Chuck sighed. "Fine. Listen, I'm just worried, you know, about everything."

Sarah looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before her expression turned very serious. She grabbed his hand and held it firmly. "I will _never_ let anyone hurt you, Chuck. You don't have anything to worry about. Trust me," she said.

Chuck stared down at her determined eyes. He knew that she meant what she said. And it wasn't just because of the job, he knew now. She actually cared about him that much. She would actually be willing to sacrifice herself for him. Aside from Ellie, and possibly Morgan, Chuck had never known someone to show him such devotion. It was thrilling, in a way, that she felt that way about him. At the same time, that was exactly what he was worried about: that Sarah would put his welfare far above her own. He didn't want her getting hurt. He didn't know if he could live with himself if she got hurt trying to protect him.

Of course, he didn't want to burden her with his worries. She had enough on her plate to worry about. The new issues brought on by the newest addition to their "team" was really something both of them had to be concerned with. If they were really going to make a go at being a couple, Captain Casey could prove to be a real problem. On top of that, she had to be on guard at all times. That's what a bodyguard did. At least that's how Chuck understood it. No, he couldn't let her in on his worries. That wouldn't be fair.

"So, tell me what the plan is, again," he said, changing the subject.

"Well," Sarah began, straightening in her seat. "When we get there, we'll set up camp. We have reservations in this little hotel right on the beach. You and I will be posing as a young couple on vacation."

"Right," Chuck said. "I'm Charles Carmichael, trust-fund kid."

"And I'm Sarah Anderson, your girlfriend that goes to Penn with you on scholarship."

"So you're an intelligent gold digger?" Chuck teased.

"No, I see past the money, and I see you for who you are, Charles," Sarah said, playing along. "Anyway, we'll check in, and we have the first night to sell our covers."

"Which means…?"

"Which means we need to go out to eat, maybe go to a bar. Maybe dancing?"

Chuck's face soured at the mention of dancing. Sarah looked extremely graceful just walking, but Chuck had always known himself to have two left feet.

"Well, we'll talk about the dancing," Sarah said. "But we need to make sure we're seen hanging around, being 'normal' so that people won't suspect us of anything."

"Couldn't we just order room service and watch TV?" Chuck asked.

"Well, we could, but we'd have to do something to make ourselves memorable, but not conspicuous" Sarah said. "Want to do it and let the bellhop catch us?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Chuck swallowed nervously. He still wasn't used to Sarah's forward nature when it came to sexual advances. "Um, that's alright. I'm thinking the dinner and dancing and stuff is the way to go."

Sarah showed a little disappointment on her face. "But you do want to do it at some point, right?" she asked, a little hope still in her voice.

Chuck laughed. "I told you, Sarah. I like you. I want a relationship with you, and yes, sex. But don't you think we should get to know each other better first? Don't you think our first time together should be special? We don't want to rush things."

"_I_ want to rush things," Sarah grumbled, turning in her seat to face away from him.

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**_Still to come_**_: Chuck and Sarah embark on their first mission together. Will things shake out as planned? Do they ever? And can Casey depend on his new team to help him complete the mission? And will Sarah finally get laid? Stay tuned to find out!_

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_A/N: You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	17. Hesitation

_Disclaimer: After a fairly long layoff, I feel the need to say once again that I don't own Chuck. The douchbags who do totally ruined the premiere for me, so maybe they should just hand it over, haha. _

_A/N: Okay guys, at long last, this tale of young Chuck is back. I hope you haven't forgotten me, and I hope that you're still interested. A big thanks as always to the great __**MXPW**__ for some very invaluable advice on this one. I generally suck at doing action sequences, and he kind of filled in some blanks for me that were missing before. It still may not be great, but he did what he could, haha. I hope you enjoy this, and I'll get to work on the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and please review.

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Last time in **Chuck the College Years**: Chuck, Sarah, and Casey were headed off to their first mission together. Chuck was a little worried about what the mission would bring, not just as far as danger, but what it would do to his burgeoning relationship with Sarah.

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**Chapter 17: Hesitation**

**Chuck and Sarah's Hotel Room  
Costa Gravas  
December, 2002**

Chuck and Sarah walked silently through the door into their hotel room. Not a word had been spoken since the completion of the mission. Well, completion might be the wrong word to describe it. Completion seems to indicate some sort of success, and the mission had been anything but a success.

Chuck plopped down on the queen-size bed, his long arms and legs sprawling out over the mattress, his feet hanging over the edge. Sarah, on the other hand didn't find anywhere to sit. She didn't seem very interested in sitting at that moment.

Chuck watched with fascination as Sarah paced back and forth in front of the bed. Her eyes never met his, and he could tell that she was off in another world, as she was mumbling to herself about something.

"You know," he said, finally breaking the silence, "if you wear a hole in the carpet, I think they might take it out of our security deposit."

Sarah glared at him momentarily before collapsing on the bed next to him flat on her back. She buried her face in her hands, and Chuck could tell that she was distressed. Well, he could tell that before, it was just the latest on a long list of things she'd done to show her worry.

"I fucked up," she said quietly, her words muffled by her hands which still covered her face.

"Hey," Chuck said soothingly, "it wasn't a _complete_ failure."

Sarah brought her hands down and sat up so that she could look at him. Chuck couldn't identify the expression on her face, but it was something akin to anger. "No, Chuck, it wasn't. You did your job. Casey did his job. _I_ was the one that didn't do my job. So like I said, _I_ fucked up," she erupted.

Oh, so it was self-loathing. Well, that was something new from his handler and bodyguard. He'd have to file that away for future reference. Though, if he had his way, she wouldn't be feeling that very often.

"It's not your fault," he assured her, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he spoke.

Sarah shrugged his hand away but kept her eyes locked on his. "It was totally my fault, Chuck," was her annoyed reply. "I have one job. Just one. Keep you safe. That's all I'm supposed to do, and I almost let you get captured. Now tell me again how it wasn't my fault?"

Chuck sighed. "Sarah," he began. "There's no way you could have known they were onto us. Hell, even Casey didn't know, and he's been doing this like forever."

"That's no excuse!" Sarah shouted. "The second I realized things were going wrong, I should have had you out of there. But no, instead, I took us both right into danger, and I almost cost all of us our lives. I almost –"

"Shhh," Chuck soothed. "Sarah, look at me," he said, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. "You did the best you could, and that's all that matters."

"But I almost lost you. I don't know what I'd have done if --"

"But you didn't lose me. I'm right here, Sarah," Chuck said.

"But –"

"But nothing," he cut her off. "There's no one I'd rather have watching out for me, okay? Everything will be fine," he added, wrapping an arm around her and pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"Really?" Sarah asked, looking up at him through watery but hopeful eyes.

"Of course," Chuck answered.

Then, Sarah craned her neck to kiss him hesitantly on the lips. It was a short kiss, more like she was testing the waters, but Chuck didn't leave her hanging long. After all, she wasn't wrong. They _had _almost been killed or captured for the second time in the past week. The spy game was proving itself to be even more dangerous than Chuck had expected. And who knew what tomorrow would hold? Maybe Sarah had a point about not waiting. So, he kissed her in return, this kiss much deeper, much stronger, and much more full of intent.

Chuck felt her smile against his lips as they continued to kiss. He ran his tongue along her lower lip, and she immediately opened her mouth to him. Things continued to escalate, and soon, they were laying back, Chuck on the bed, Sarah on Chuck, and their hands began to wander.

Sarah moaned into Chuck's mouth as his hand slid up the curve of her back. Her hands were firmly entangled in his curly hair. Finally Sarah had to come up for air, and when she did, she looked down into the eyes of the man beneath her. And he smiled. Of course, she couldn't help but smile in return.

"Is this really going to happen?" she asked shyly.

Chuck thought about it for a moment, but decided that words couldn't appropriately answer her question, so he kissed her again. He reasoned that to be a sufficient answer for her, and she responded in kind, smiling against his lips and they continued to roll about.

……

**Earlier that day…**

Premier Allejandro Goya, dictator of Costa Gavras. That was the target of the mission. It was a pretty simple mission, in fact. The team was assigned to find the Premier, establish the affiliation of his contacts with the help of the Intersect in Chuck's head, after which Sarah was to get Chuck away from the action, and Casey was to eliminate the foreign leader.

Chuck and Sarah were attending a diplomatic function under the guise of their covers as average college age students from the United States, who were interning with the State Department. Sarah was armed to the teeth, everything concealed very well, just the way she'd been shown in her training, but if everything worked as planned, she wouldn't need any of that weaponry. Then again, things with Chuck never seemed to work as planned.

For an event on such a grand level of local politics, the dress for the evening was surprisingly casual. Perhaps it was because of the sweltering summer heat during an outdoor function that dictated such average attire, Sarah reasoned. But whatever it was, she'd come to the event in a simple blue cocktail dress, and open-toe heels. Chuck wore a black blazer over an open-collared white button down with charcoal gray slacks.

She had to admit, the outfit suited him. Sure, she knew she'd like him in a tux, but he just looked great in what he was wearing. In fact, as she allowed him to lead her through the gate to the tent on the front lawn of the Premier's mansion, her thoughts were a little clouded by fantasies of taking him back to the hotel and helping him take it off. Those impure images weren't helped by the way Chuck looked at her when he saw her in her dress. Sure, she knew she looked good. She'd been trained to look good, but it always made her feel good when Chuck thought so. And his "Wow, you look amazing" before they left their hotel had only added to her enjoyment of his admiration.

But this was a mission, not a social event, so Sarah did everything in her power to reel in her raging hormones. If anything went wrong, she needed to be on top of her game. Chuck's safety, and the success of the mission were at stake.

Of course, the first the first mistake happened almost the minute they entered the party. It was small, really, but Sarah should have seen it as a sign of things to come.

"Oh! Queso dip!" Chuck said excitedly, grabbing a chip covered in liquid cheese from a platter that was being carried past.

Sarah watched in amusement as the nerd shoved the chip into his mouth and began to chomp away. She saw a bit of cheese at the corner of his mouth, but just as she moved her finger to wipe it away, it dripped down onto his shirt.

"Aw, man," Chuck moaned. "I've been a spy for like three minutes and I already have a stain on my shirt."

Sarah smirked despite herself. "Chuck," she drawled. "It's not a problem. Just close your blazer over it, and while you're at it," she looked around and leaned in close to him, "stop saying you're a spy."

"Oh! Right!" Chuck replied.

The next two hours, Sarah led Chuck around the party, trying to see if he flashed on anyone, but they were coming up empty, and Captain Casey, who was in their ear, was getting impatient.

As they were sitting by the dance floor, eyeing all the occupants and everyone that walked into the party, the second mistake happened.

"Sarah?" Chuck asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"Have you," Chuck paused, swallowed. "Have you ever killed someone?"

Sarah was shocked by the question. Why would Chuck ask that? And why now?

"Um, no Chuck, I haven't," she answered truthfully.

"Really?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, really. I haven't. Although, if it came to it, I've been trained to," she explained out of hand.

"Oh," Chuck said deflating.

He didn't say anything else, but then, he didn't have to. Sarah could see a little of the light behind his eyes when he looked at her disappear. Did he think less of her because she could be a killer? Didn't he know what he was getting into with her?

She needed to make him forget about killing. She needed him to focus. Oh yeah, and she needed him to adore her again. That was the most important part.

"Dance with me?" she asked suddenly.

"What?!" Chuck squeaked. "I, um, I'm not really a dancer."

"Please?" Sarah asked with her most innocent tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, I'm just," he paused. "I require a certain amount of social lubrication to dance, and seeing as they don't really want me to be drunk during the mission I'd imagine, I'm still going to have to decline."

"Please, Chuck?" she begged again.

"I told you, I really don't dance, Sarah. I mean, there are a lot of nice looking guys here. If you want to have one of them take you for a spin on the floor, I promise I won't be jealous or anything," he explained.

"You know I can't leave you," Sarah whined. "And I don't want to, anyway. I don't want to dance with them. I want to dance with _you_. Besides, I'm a great dancer. I'll teach you, if you want."

"But I don't want," Chuck replied.

"Please?" she begged even again.

Chuck sighed, and she knew he was about to cave. He just needed a little more convincing.

"I'll owe you a big, big favor," she added.

"Fine," Chuck said. "But don't blame me when I embarrass you out there."

Sarah's face grew serious. "I would _never_ be embarrassed of you, Chuck," she said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it to emphasize her point.

Chuck studied her for a moment, before standing and pulling her to her feet, their hands still linked. He sighed. "Then lead the way, milady."

"I'm honored you'd have me, kind sir," Sarah answered, a now radiant smile gracing her face.

After a few songs, Sarah could tell that Chuck wasn't being modest about his previous dancing experience. He really was a novice at cutting a rug. But he showed tremendous promise, and that made her happy. If they were going to be together for a long time, and she was certain that they would if she had anything to say about it, then giving her a spin on the dance floor was something she really wanted him to be able to do.

Plus, dancing was kind of like sex, or so she'd heard. So it was almost like they were making love, except not really.

She was enjoying herself so much that she didn't notice at first when Chuck froze in place. She didn't notice until he gasped and shook his head, as he always did when he'd had a flash.

"Chuck, what did you see?" she asked quietly, not stopping their waltz.

"It's um, the three guys that just walked in," he answered, nodding to the entrance. "All three are involved in international drug trade, and two of them, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, and Mohammed Atef, have ties to Middle Eastern terrorist organizations."

"You get that, Casey?" Sarah asked under her breath.

"_Roger that," _answered the NSA agent over the radio.

"Alright Chuck, that's our cue. Time to get the hell out of here," she said, pulling him toward the exit.

"Sarah, wait!" Chuck exclaimed.

"Chuck, we have to go," Sarah said through clenched teeth.

"No, I saw something." The tapping on the side of his head was to indicate to her that the Intersect had booted up. There was more than met the eye, here.

On the one hand, all she really cared about was getting Chuck to safety and letting Captain Casey do his job. On the other hand, she really should trust the Intersect. And it wouldn't really be right to leave her knew partner in a situation that was worse than he'd anticipated.

She sighed. "Fine, Chuck. Tell me what you saw."

"Have you ever heard of Fulcrum?" Chuck asked.

"Fulcrum? Like as in levers?"

"No, Fulcrum as in a group of terrorists," Chuck answered quietly.

"No, no I haven't," Sarah answered. She thought about it for a moment, but it only made sense that if they could uncover some secret organization, they should probably do it. "Fine, let's go, but be careful!" she demanded.

The two followed close behind the man Chuck had identified as a part of the secret group, ignoring the orders Casey was giving them to return to the van. They watched as the man disappeared behind an exterior door to the presidential mansion. Waiting a few moments, Sarah moved to the door, signaling for Chuck to stay close behind her.

She pressed her ear against the door, and tried to listen for any chatter, but she heard nothing. Then, without warning, the door swung open, causing Sarah to tumble to the floor at the feet of the man Chuck had flashed on.

"Oh! This isn't the bathroom," Chuck said lamely.

The man stared Chuck down for a moment, then looked down at the fallen CIA agent. He pulled his weapon and pressed it against Sarah's forehead. "It's certainly not, Agent Bartowski. Agent Walker.

"Fulcrum has been looking for the both of you for some time, so nice of you to join me, by the way. I was hoping we'd get a chance to talk. Well, talk might be the wrong word. I was hoping I'd get a chance to shoot you."

Sarah closed her eyes and prepared to feel the release of death. But nothing happened. There was no gunshot. There was no pain. There was no blackness. There was just the feel of the wind from some object sailing over her head, followed by a grunt from the person of interest. Reopening her eyes, she saw him double over briefly as a Chuck's shoe fell to the floor in front of the man that was now holding his groin.

Sarah stood quickly and delivered a devastating kick to the man's head, sending him crashing to the ground. Once he was on the ground, Sarah punched him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.

"We have to move, Chuck!" she shouted. But before the words were out of her mouth, Chuck was running back to the tent. "Dammit Chuck! Come back!"

"Sarah! We have to warn Casey! He doesn't now what's going on!" Chuck shouted back, continuing his sprint.

Sarah followed as fast as she could, ditching her shoes in the process. Everything was starting to go to hell, and she suddenly felt powerless to stop it.

"No, Chuck!" she shouted again, but it did no good. He was already inside the tent, searching for their partner. Just as Sarah came back through the gate to the makeshift ballroom, she saw a big, burly, bald man grab Chuck from behind, clamping his hand over Chuck's mouth so that the nerd couldn't call for help.

……

Finally, after three failed attempts, the Angeles de la Muerte would be able to complete his assignment to eliminate the Premiere of the commie bastard country of Costa Gravas.

After the Intersect had identified Goya's contacts, it had just become a waiting game for Casey. He'd followed the party of four to a small, secluded area behind the tent where the party was being held, and using a long distance hearing device, listened to the terrorists and the political leader incriminate themselves quite well.

Casey smiled to himself as he lined up his shot. With ample evidence now recorded, they'd easily be able to take down this covert group of scumbags. It was just a matter of finally putting one between the eyes of his old nemesis. But before he could pull the trigger, he heard a shout from another part of the courtyard. It was Walker.

"Let him go!" Casey heard her say. Shit! They had the moron.

Casey lowered his weapon and began to look around the lawn for his partners. Then he saw them. A man held Bartowski with a gun pointed at his head. Walker stood a few feet away, her own weapon drawn and held in a shaky hand. "Pull the damn trigger, Walker!"Casey said under his breath. "Do it now!"

But of course she couldn't hear him, and he wasn't sure if she would do it if she could. The stupid girl was letting her emotions get in the way, just as Casey had feared might happen in a bad situation.

Sighing, he leveled his rifle in the direction of the man that held the Intersect captive. It was important to kill the Premiere, but protecting the Intersect from capture would always be job one on this assignment.

Casey squeezed the trigger, and in a split second, then man holding Chuck dropped to the ground. But the noise of the rifle going off was enough to draw attention in Casey's direction.

A guard looked up to where the Marine was perched. "Angeles de la Muerte!" the man shouted. Well, it was good to be remembered, but Casey certainly didn't need that attention right then.

The veteran spy leaped to the ground and rushed over to his partners. "Let's go!" he shouted angrily.

The three team member sprinted to their van, the mission almost a complete failure.

"Walker, we need to talk later," Casey seethed as he peeled away from the presidential mansion.

……

**At the hotel…**

Sarah moaned into Chuck's mouth as his hand slid up the curve of her back. Her hands were firmly entangled in his curly hair. Finally Sarah had to come up for air, and when she did, she looked down into the deep brown eyes of the man beneath her. And he smiled. Of course, she couldn't help but smile in return.

"Is this really going to happen?" she asked shyly.

Chuck thought about it for a moment, but decided that words couldn't appropriately answer her question, so he kissed her again. He reasoned that to be a sufficient answer for her, and she responded in kind, smiling against his lips and they continued to roll about.

That's when they heard someone clear their throat. Chuck and Sarah sat bolt upright at the previously unfelt presence.

"Agent Walker, if you could delay the extracurricular activities, I'd like a moment of your time," Casey said gruffly.

"I, um –"

"We can do this in my room. I'm sure the asset will be secure here for the time being," the older man explained, cutting off the young CIA agent.

"Oh, um, yeah, okay," she answered, slowly standing from the bed. She looked down at the man still there, the man that she wanted with all her heart, the man she would have to wait to have once again, and sighed as she walked toward the door.

Sarah followed a few steps behind Casey as they walked down the hall. She was unsure how she should feel. A part of her was angry at Casey for breaking up whatever had been happening between her and Chuck. It seemed like Chuck was so close to giving her what she wanted, like she was so close to getting him, finally.

But then there was another part of Sarah that was scared about what this impromptu meeting would be about. Captain Casey was an intimidating man under any circumstance, but when he was in the right and you were in the wrong, he could down right terrifying. That was the situation Sarah knew she was in. Casey had been enraged with her behavior and performance during the mission. He certainly hadn't made his feelings a secret. Would he yell at her? Would he fight her? Would he try to get her reassigned?

The last one was her greatest fear. Before they'd left the States, Casey came to her and asked her about the nature of her relationship with Chuck. She'd lied and said that she had no emotional investment in the asset. Casey saw through the lie immediately, telling her that he knew what she was doing, and that it was a dangerous game. But then he'd said he'd look the other way if she could prove that her inappropriate "lady feelings" (as he'd phrased it) wouldn't get in the way. Now those very feelings clearly had gotten in the way. Would he try to take Chuck away from her?

"Sit down," Casey ordered, pointing to a chair as they entered his room.

Sarah knew she was in no position to argue, so she did as she was told. She took a seat and immediately began to stare at the floor. At least it didn't seem like he was going to fight her.

"What is your job here, Agent Walker?" Casey demanded.

"Protecting Chuck," Sarah mumbled, still not looking up at her NSA counterpart.

"No, it's not," he growled. "You job is protecting the Intersect."

Sarah's head snapped up and she looked Casey dead in the eye as an angry expression grew on her face. "Chuck _is_ the Intersect!" she said indignantly.

"You're right, he is," Casey replied, not backing down any. "But your connection to him is unprofessional, and dangerous." Casey paused for a moment, clearly in contemplation. "Tell me, why didn't you take that shot today?"

"I didn't have a clean angle!" Sarah lied.

"Bullshit."

"What? I didn't!" she defended lamely. Casey still wasn't buying it. Sarah sighed. "Fine," she huffed. "I didn't want Chuck to see me kill someone," she admitted.

"That's not a good enough reason, Walker. You do your job. No questions, no hesitations. You do what you're trained to do, understand?" he asked in his usual cold, detached, yet still angry tone.

"Look, Agent Casey, I know I screwed up today –"

"Do you?" Casey asked. "And do you know _why_ you screwed up?"

Sarah thought about her answer for a moment. There were any number of reasons that she'd failed to do her job. If she'd just gotten Chuck out of the building as she'd been instructed, nothing would have happened. If she'd listened to her instincts instead of listening to Chuck's wishes, problems would have been avoided. And if she'd avoided trying to overcompensate for her previous errors by trying to be a big damn hero, the mission still would have been salvageable.

"A lot of reasons, I guess," Sarah answered.

"No, it's not a lot of reasons, Walker. It's just one reason."

"What's that?" she asked.

"You let your emotions get in the way. You are so caught up in the guy that gets your little panties moist, that you don't see the big picture," Casey explained gruffly.

Sarah didn't have an answer. Technically, what her new partner was saying was true. She really had let her feelings for Chuck, and her need for him to like her and accept her get in the way of her making the correct decisions. But did Casey have to be so crude about it?

"I'm sorry," she said dejectedly.

"Sorry's not good enough. I finally had that bastard in the crosshairs, and your goddamn lady feelings ruined it!" Casey took a breath. "Just fix it, or I'll tell the brass to get someone in here that _can_ do the job. Got it?"

Sarah seethed momentarily. She was angry. She was angry at Casey for yelling at her, even though she knew she deserved it. She was angry at Chuck for making her care about him, and for making her do things that would get her yelled at. And she was angry at herself, for allowing all of those things to happen.

"Yeah, I got it," she huffed.

"Good," Casey said as he walked over to his window-side table, picking up a manila folder. "Now I have to file my report and then do some _real_ spy work to try to fix your mess. You can go back to your room and hump the asset's brains out, if that's all you're interested in doing. Maybe you'll actually get that right."

And with that, Casey turned his attention to the file in his hand and away from Sarah. She sat there stunned by the bluntness with which the other agent had addressed her. What was she supposed to do with that? Should she be hurt? Because she was. Should she be angry? Because she was that, too.

But whatever she was feeling, she wasn't going to give Casey the satisfaction of seeing it, so she stood up and exited the room. She went back to the room she was sharing with Chuck, and when she got there, she collapsed on the bed.

"Sarah? Is everything alright?" Chuck asked soothingly.

Sarah looked at him blankly for a moment, all the feelings and thoughts about what was, and what could have been during the mission gone wrong running through her head at a break-neck pace. She was confused, and didn't know what to think. And as she'd always done when she was confused, she lashed out.

"No everything is not alright, Chuck!" she yelled, standing back up and beginning to pace in front of the bed. "Everything is far from alright. I just got my ass chewed by our, well, _my_ partner because _you_ can't follow goddamn directions!"

By the look on Chuck's face, he was shocked by this sudden outburst, but Sarah continued.

"And another thing! If you want something to happen between us, if that's what you really want, then you're going to have to respect me!"

"I do respect you!" Chuck piped up.

"Really? Then why when I told you that we had to go did you blatantly refuse my orders?" Sarah asked.

"I was just trying –"

"Trying isn't good enough, Chuck! I can't just try! I have to succeed. You know why?" Chuck just looked at her dumbly. "Because if I don't, you die! You got that?"

Then she finally broke. Water began to cloud her eyes, and she was finally ready to let the heavy emotion of the day go as she fell back onto the bed.

As the tears and sobs continued to flow from the young blonde spy, she threw her arms around her asset. He seemed more than willing to let her cry on his shoulder, and for that, she was thankful.

She hadn't gotten what she wanted that night, but just for that night, she got what she needed.

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**Next time: **What will be the reaction of Graham and Beckman to Team Intersect's failure? How will the situation be fixed? And can Sarah redeem herself in everyone's eyes?

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_A/N: Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I'm sorry I left you hanging so long, and I will effort not to do so again. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	18. No Really This Time

_A/N: Yeah, I know. First of all, for anyone that's still upset about my little April Fools joke, I do apologize. In all honesty, I had every intention of publishing an actual chapter later that weekend, but things in real life got all floopy, and busy, and crazy, and sad (my puppy dying), and I just couldn't muster the energy to write it. Plus, I was honestly kind of at a loss for where I wanted this story to go. Luckily, through the help of the ever awesome __**MXPW**__, and my new buddy, the super talented __**Frea O'Scanlin**__, authors of __**Chuck vs. The Double Agent**__, and, __**What Fates Impose**__ respectively (both tremendous stories that dwarf this one in their epicness), I've gotten a bit of a handle on the story. So, yeah, I know where I'm going now, and that might lead to more writing. Maybe. Hopefully. I really want to finish this story now. I really want to get this tale told. Thing is, I've known for a long time how the story ends, it's just a matter of getting there. That's where Frea and MXPW came in. Talked at length with both of them about story direction, and them being the awesome people they are, helped me find a bit of a path. So, yeah, be heads up for more College Years soon!

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_Shameless Plug: Also, while I'm blithering on, I feel I should mention that Frea, MXPW, __**Liam2**__, __**Crystal(dot)elements**__, and myself have come out of the closet as the most awesome OT5 in the Chuck fandom. Okay, so we're not totally an OT5, but we are kind of a writing club, called __**The Cabal**__. We've begun publishing our first group effort fic here, called __**Chuck and Sarah Vs the BamChickaWowWow**__. It's kind of a series of worst case scenarios to tag the awesome end of episode 3.13. And it's really funny, I don't mind telling you. Anyway, you should totally check that out.

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**Chapter 18: No Really This Time**

**Chuck and Sarah's Hotel  
Costa Gravas  
December, 2002**

As Sarah slowly began to wake, the first conscious thought she had was that she felt warm. Not uncomfortably warm, in fact, just the opposite. She felt very comfortable. Very safe. Very _loved_, maybe?

She noticed that the reason for her warmth was the wiry, but surprisingly strong arm that was draped across her midsection, holding her tight against an equally thin, but firm body. _Chuck_, she realized. That made her smile.

It also made her realize that the feeling of warmth she felt wasn't necessarily physical – though it was that, too – but it was more emotional. It had been a long time since someone had held her as she slept. Her mom was probably the last one to do that, oh those many years ago. Back when she was just Sam. Before she accompanied her father across the country to cheat and steal from everyone they crossed. Before Langston Graham found her and offered her a new life. Before she went to Harvard on the CIA's dime. And long before she was Agent Sarah Walker of the CIA.

But just when she needed it, when she felt like a complete failure, she'd found someone else to hold her, to make her feel like everything would be all right. It almost felt wrong to think of Chuck in the same context as she thought of her mother, what with the _very_ impure thoughts she had about him pretty much every day. That was certainly something she never wanted from the woman that gave birth to her, and protected her when she was very young. But somehow, the comparison just seemed to fit.

Her mom used to be her protector, and since she left, Sarah had no one to fill that void. Until now. Until Chuck. She thought that, wherever she was now, that her momma would be happy that she'd found someone to look out for her.

Sarah sighed with contentment, even as she felt her bedmate begin to stir behind her.

"Mornin'," she heard him groan, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"Good morning," she replied softly, but happily.

"You sleep well?" Chuck asked.

"Mmm-hmmm," she murmured, sliding deeper into his embrace.

Sarah felt Chuck kiss her lightly on the top of her head even as he tightened his grip on her. Was he concerned that she would drift away if he let go? Well, he didn't need to worry about that. As long as he'd have her, she'd never leave his side.

Starting to fully gain her wits, Sarah couldn't help but notice that, in their current position, her bottom was pressed firmly against Chuck's groin. She grinded herself into him, just a little, and thrilled at the feeling of his masculinity. She didn't know if it was because of her close proximity, or just the normal morning reaction she'd been told men have, but whatever it was, she liked it. And no longer feeling the heaviness of the previous evening, she thought that maybe, just maybe, they had enough time before they were interrupted to…

Sarah slowly turned within Chuck's embrace until she was face-to-face with him. Her breath hitched in her throat at the sight of his face first thing in the morning. He was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, and she wanted to make him hers.

Slowly, tenderly, she pressed her lips to his. Morning breath be damned, she wanted to feel his kiss, his touch, _him_. Because regardless of what happened during the mission the previous day, he was alive. And she was alive. Every day you could say that as a spy was a good day, she'd been told during her training. So dammit, if she was going to have to live for the moment every moment of every day, she was going to live a life that was worthwhile

Only then, Sarah's phone rang. She swore, and honestly, she was going to ignore it, but Chuck looked over to the nightstand expectedly, and she knew she had to take the call.

"Hello?" she answered, trying to hide her annoyance. "Yeah, I gotcha. We'll be there."

Sarah ended the call, then turned back to Chuck. "We have a briefing in five. Um, do you think we have time to, you know…"

Chuck laughed as he climbed out of the bed and began pulling on his pants. "No, I don't think so. At least I hope not. Come on. Let's get down there. I don't want you getting in trouble again. I promise we'll continue this later."

"We better," Sarah grumbled in frustration.

* * *

**Cpt. Casey's Room  
Seven minutes later**

"I apologize, ma'am. It won't happen again," Sarah said. It seemed like she was apologizing an awful lot during the briefing. In fact, the "briefing" had actually been more of a "bash Sarah" session. The young operative figured she probably had it coming, so it wasn't so much of a shock. Still, it stung to be spoken to as though she was a child.

"Sorry isn't an answer, Agent Walker," Beckman's image barked. The NSA director sighed. "Fine," she said. "I guess this is what we should have expected from such an inexperienced agent."

"Where do we go from here, General?" Casey asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Captain," Beckman said. "Because of the Premiere's involvement with drug trafficking, we've been able to secure assistance from another agency. It will take a little more time now, having missed our best window of opportunity to eliminate Goya, but we think we can still get close to him."

"When can we expect help to arrive?" Casey asked.

"She's been given your location, and we expect her there this morning, Captain. When Agent Miller gets there, she'll brief you on the new parameters for the mission."

As the General was speaking, the screen split, displaying a picture of this "Agent Miller". Sarah's breath caught in her throat. She'd never heard this "Miller" name before, but it was obviously Carina. Sarah had to bite her lip to stop from interrupting. She was already in enough trouble without speaking out of turn.

"Anything else General?" Casey asked.

"This is another young one. Make sure _she_ does what she's supposed to do," Beckman said pointedly, her stare focused on Sarah.

"Agent Walker," Graham, who'd been standing silently behind the General for most of the briefing, spoke, "if we could have a word in private."

Chuck and Casey wordlessly left the room, leaving Sarah to face her superiors alone.

"Sarah," Graham sighed. "Now it's my turn to apologize."

"Apologize for what, sir?" Sarah asked, confused.

"I shouldn't have sent you out into the field before you were ready. That was my mistake."

"But I am ready," Sarah protested. "I mean, yeah, I messed up yesterday, but it won't happen again."

"No Sarah, you weren't ready. Your training wasn't even complete," Graham said.

"How do you mean, sir?"

"There's one final test that we generally put our covert operatives through," Graham explained. "Had you passed this particular test, I feel like yesterday would have never happened. That's why you'll be leaving your team."

Sarah felt panic begin to overtake her. She didn't want to leave her team. Well, she didn't want to leave Chuck. Not now. Not when things were finally getting good between them. And what the hell was this test the director spoke of?

"But sir, I've developed such a good, um, rapport with the asset," Sarah defended lamely.

"It's not permanent, Agent Walker," Graham said, assuaging some of her fears. "You'll be returning to them after you complete this assignment. But first, I need to see you in Washington to prepare you for your final test."

"When?" Sarah asked.

"An agent will be arriving later today to escort you to the airport. Once here, you'll receive a package that will have all the information you need to complete your assignment," Graham informed.

"Yes sir," Sarah said, defeated. "When do I leave?"

"You have about three hours," Graham said, as he disconnected the communication.

* * *

**Chuck and Sarah's Room  
One Hour Later**

Everything was getting messed up, and she was powerless to stop it.

She was going to be sent on a mission, and she had no clue what she'd be doing. She tried to ask Captain Casey what Graham had meant by "final test", but he wouldn't say anything. There had been a brief flicker of acknowledgement when she brought it up, but the NSA agent wouldn't say anything.

That worried her. Just how dangerous _was_ this assignment? Not that any mission is easy. They'd said that in basic. When you get overconfident, you get dead. But was this particular mission going to be more dangerous than most?

Would she have to have sex with someone?

Would she have to _kill_ someone?

And on top of all of her uncertainty, there was the matter of Carina being inserted into her team in her absence. That part worried Sarah more than she cared to think about.

Not that she had anything against Carina. As long as they'd known each other, Carina had been her only true friend in the world. Or as close to a "true friend" as Sarah had. And maybe Carina was a top-flight agent. Who was to say?

But there was one thing that Sarah knew about Carina. It's one thing that she'd always been sure of, when it came to her friend.

Carina liked boys.

She liked them a lot. And when Sarah's former roommate set her sights on a particular boy, it was only a matter of time before she made him hers. And if Sarah liked a boy? Well, that almost assured that Carina would also "like" him.

Not that Carina ever confirmed that there was any correlation between the guys she slept with, and the guys that Sarah took an interest in, but the statistics spoke for themselves. Freshman year, there was Josh, the cutie in Sarah's anthropology class. Sarah was always too nervous to talk to him, but eventually, he asked her out. Then he stood her up, and Sarah found him in bed with Carina. Sophomore year, there was the Lloyd incident. Sarah didn't even want to think about that. As juniors, Sarah had finally worked up enough self esteem to approach a boy on her own. And Carina seemed to take pride in taking away every one of those boys. That trend continued into senior year.

Now, there was Chuck, and the feelings Sarah had for Chuck were so much stronger than any she'd ever had for a guy. Only, Graham was pulling her away from the team, and Carina would be given at least a week, all alone with Chuck. Sarah wouldn't be there to stop the other woman from making a move on, what Sarah considered to be _her_ property.

Not that she'd ever been able to stop Carina before, but still, not being there made her feel even more helpless.

But maybe if she just talked to Chuck before she left, she could head off any problems before they arose. Except that, that would involve talking about her feelings. Sarah got nervous just thinking about that. Still, maybe there was a way to talk to Chuck, without having to admit that she cared about him as much as she did.

As Sarah sat lost in thought on their hotel room bed, Chuck emerged from the bathroom, fresh out of the shower. He' gotten dressed before he came out, but his hair was still wet, and he was toweling it dry.

It was decision time for Sarah. Should she talk to Chuck about how she felt? Should she warn Chuck about Carina's "aggressive" streak? Or should she just attack him, kiss him senseless, and hope for the best?

Almost flying across the room, Sarah pinned Chuck to the wall. It was a reaction, really, but it seemed to her that her body had chosen the "kiss him senseless" approach.

Chuck looked surprised, confused, and quite frankly a bit frightened at the sudden turn of events, but he didn't fight against her as she stood on her tip-toes, her face getting closer to his with ever passing heartbeat.

Then, just as Sarah's lips were a mere millimeter from Chuck's, his eyes closed, her eyes closed, she spoke. "Chuck, we need to talk about some stuff," she whispered. So apparently she _hadn't_ made up her mind. God, there were so many things she needed to do, and she had so little time.

"Um, talk," Chuck asked, his voice cracking at the last.

Sarah released her hold on him, and backed away slowly. "Yes, talk," she said. "We need to talk about you and me, and we need to talk about Carina, and we need to talk about, well a lot of stuff," she added, ticking the things off on her fingers.

"Whoa, slow down," Chuck said, grabbing her shoulders. "We can talk about anything you want." A pause. "And who is Carina?"

There was a knock at the door.

"Ignore it," Sarah said, trying to get Chuck's attention back on her.

It didn't work. "Sarah, we should probably get that. It could be Casey, or that Agent Miller," he said, as he walked to open the door.

In a moment of clarity, Sarah realized that Chuck had no business answering the door on his own. He wasn't armed, and he wouldn't know what to do even if he was. "Let me get it," she said with a sigh.

Picking up her sidearm from the nightstand, Sarah discreetly hid it behind her back, and answered the door, revealing an average looking middle-aged man in a very typical "g-man" suit. His hair was thinning on top, and his face bore the lines of years of service. He really just looked tired. Sarah imagined that was probably the case for most long-time agents.

"Agent Walker?" the man asked.

"Yeah, that's me," Sarah answered.

"Good," he answered without a hint of joy in his voice. "I'm here for your pick-up. We have to be at the airport within the hour, so if you'll just come with me…"

"But," Sarah said, suddenly panicking. "They said I had like three hours! I haven't had time to pack."

"No need," the man said. "Director Graham said you were to come as you are. Everything you need will be provided."

"Sarah?" Chuck asked from behind her. "Are you leaving?"

"I, um, I have –"

"Agent Walker," the pick-up agent said threateningly.

Right. She wasn't supposed to talk about mission stuff with anyone. And clearly this guy wasn't going to give her a minute to tie up loose ends. Not that she could take care of everything she needed to in a minute anyway, but it would've been nice of him to offer.

"Right, yeah, I'm coming," Sarah said in a defeated tone. "Chuck," she said, turning to face her asset, "I'll be back. I promise."

You shouldn't make promises. She knew that. Still, she had to give him something. Some reason to hold out hope that she'd be back. Some reason to resist the charms of her best friend, who Sarah knew would try everything she could to take Chuck away from her. Not that she'd ever had him to begin with, but she liked to think that she was close.

Sarah tucked her gun into the waistband of her jeans, and followed the agent out into the hall to wait for an elevator. She'd accomplished nothing. She hadn't told Chuck how she felt, she hadn't warned him about Carina, and she most certainly hadn't kissed him senseless. Instead, she'd been forced to just walk away. She decided that being a spy sucked sometimes.

Then, as the lift arrived on their floor, Sarah was greeted by her college roommate, her best friend, and now her worst nightmare.

"Sarah," Carina said in greeting. Given the circumstances, Sarah couldn't help but to hear a bit of smugness in the other woman's voice. Real or imagined, the blonde didn't know, but it was there still the same.

"Carina," Sarah said in return, trying to keep the worry and contempt from seeping into that single syllable.

"Good luck out there," Carina said. "I'll make sure to take good care of your team."

The redhead strode past her, allowing Sarah and the pick-up agent to board the elevator. Then, just as the doors were closing, Carina turned back around.

"And have fun," she added. Then the doors were completely closed, and Sarah was on her way down to the lobby, so she didn't hear Carina's final words: "I know I will."

* * *

**Next Time: **Sarah is off on some mission. Chuck doesn't know where she's going. Hell, Sarah doesn't even know where she's going, but it will change her life forever. Also, Carina is in town, and where Carina goes, mayhem generally follows. Of course that will be the case this time. All this and more in the next installment of **Chuck the College Years

* * *

**

_A/N: Okay, I'm really sorry for the wait guys. I really am. I really hope it doesn't happen like that again, but I won't make promises, as I seem to have trouble keeping them. Also, fair warning now, with Frea helping me out, well, she seems to have a thing for torturing characters, so, yeah. I promise it's not my doing. Well, it is, but she caused it ;-) Anyway, thanks for reading, and I look forward to your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	19. AN and Placeholder

**!!SPECIAL AUTHORS NOTE!!**

Dear loyal readers,

So I deleted my little April Fools joke, and in doing so, I think I threw you off. If you have alerts, and you clicked on the link you were sent, you got nothing. So, yeah, that was my bad, because technically, chapter 19 doesn't exist. So I'm putting this here as a place holder. Also, it might not let you review "chapter 18" again, so if you want to leave reviews for the REAL chapter 18, I guess do it here.

Sorry for the inconvenience, and I hope you have a pleasant day.

You guys are awesome. Peace.

-S. Kevin Windham (Wepdiggy)


	20. Shaken by Words

_A/N: Hmm… So, this chapter is a little shorter, I guess. I tried something different here, and I think I'm going to stick with it, for the time being. Almost all of this chapter is from Chuck's point of view. There is a brief interlude with someone else taking the role of protagonist, but that won't be the norm moving forward. There's a reason for that, believe me. It's partially artistic in nature, and partially just me wanting to try something different, but hopefully, it will be enjoyable to you, the reader. Now, I'll admit that no one has looked over this chapter, but the ideas presented were greatly aided by the fantastic __**Frea O'Scanlin**__, and the magnificent __**MXPW**__. Heh, like what I did with the alliteration there? No? Well, it was for my benefit anyway, so who cares? Anyway, so all of that is out of the way, and now, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review. Thanks!_

_

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_

**Chapter 19: Shaken by Words**

**Chuck's Hotel Room  
Costa Gravas  
December 22, 2002  
22:02 GMT -5:00:00**

_Name: REDACTED  
SSN: REDACTED  
Alias: Carina Hansen, Carina Miller  
DOB: REDACTED  
Place of Birth: REDACTED  
Height: 5'10"  
Weight: 132 lbs.  
Build: Slender  
Occupation: DEA Covert Operative, seconded CIA  
Skills: Small arms expert, infiltration and inducement of enemy personnel  
Identifying Traits: None Known  
Hair Color: Red  
Eye Color: Blue  
Complexion: Fair  
Sex: Female  
Country of Origin: USA_

_Agent Miller was recruited out of Harvard University by the Drug Enforcement Agency's Special Covert Operations Unit. Finished BCT with High PT honors. Received superior marks in her IIoEP training. Completed advanced level small arms training. Marked for immediate assignment._

Chuck read through the dossier Casey let him have on their new temporary partner for the hundredth time. The veteran agent had explained that Chuck needed to study Agent Miller's file to see if it threw up any red flags with the Intersect. It hadn't, so at least that was a relief. In fact, nothing in her file in general had even induced so much as a flash. Probably because she was still new.

Still, it wasn't what was in the file that bothered Chuck, or even what wasn't in the Intersect. What upset Chuck was that, while he'd never seen Sarah's file, he imagined it looked very similar. Not that that was a bad thing. It didn't necessarily have to be. But if he knew Sarah as "Sarah", and he knew Agent Miller as "Carina", did that mean that Sarah wasn't really "Sarah"? If not, what was her name? Would she even tell him if he asked?

God! Too. Many. Questions. And far, far, too few answers.

And it wasn't as if Carina seemed to be a bad person. She seemed pleasant enough. Of course, his time alone with her had been very limited. For whatever reason, Casey didn't want to leave them alone. Did the Captain not trust him? Was the older man just being thorough in his protective duty? Dammit, more questions.

Chuck collapsed back onto his bed. The bed he'd shared with Sarah, just the night before, during a much simpler time. He was too exhausted from all the mental anguish he'd heaped on himself to even take his clothes off, so throwing the sheet over himself, he settled in for what he knew right off would be a fitful night of sleep.

* * *

**Casey's Room  
Costa Gravas  
December 22, 2002  
22:15 GMT -5:00:00**

Casey poured two glasses of Scotch, before turning to his new drinking companion. "Are you even old enough to have this?" he asked in a gruff but teasing voice.

Carina fixed him with a hard "screw you" glare. The kind every woman has in her repertoire. It didn't faze Captain Casey. He'd seem that look from too many women to count over the years. Some uppity greenhorn wasn't going to intimidate him. But he had to give the rookie credit for having the balls to try it.

Chuck was asleep in his room. Or at least he was in bed with the lights out, not making any noise. That was good enough for Casey. Whether or not the geek actually slept wasn't his problem. His only concern was to keep the monitors up during the night to make sure there were no freak accidents, or invasions that could cost Graham and Beckman their new play thing.

"So what's the deal with Chuckie, anyway?" Carina asked.

Casey of loath to admit it, but he was kind of proud of his asset no spilling the beans to the lovely Agent Miller. He knew she'd been pushing Bartowski to come clean about what was going on with the operation, and Casey knew just how persistent a female agent could be, and in what ways. Not that Casey had really left Chuck alone with her long enough for anything too sensitive to be divulged, but even when they didn't know he was watching, he was watching, and the asset had stood up to the test.

"Above your pay-grade, sister," he said absently, taking a pull from his glass. "But suffice to say, he's just an analyst."

"An analyst on an overseas operation, accompanied by two operatives of rival agencies?" Carina asked disbelievingly.

"Leave it alone, rookie," Casey warned, sitting his glass down with a thud.

Carina raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. "Fine, Captain," she said. "Just tell me the general nature of your assignment. I don't need details, but if you two are my backup –"

"_We're_ not your backup," Casey interrupted. "I'm your backup."

The more veteran agent contemplated briefly what he should tell his counterpart. How much she needed to know. He finally settled on a watered down version of the truth. Just enough to get her off his back. Still, maybe seeing how far she'd be willing to go for the little bit of information he was willing to offer couldn't hurt. Nothing like a little rookie hazing to liven up an otherwise boring evening. And if he could get his rocks off with a fine, young piece of tail like Agent Miller while he was at it… Well, Casey _was_ still a man, after all.

"What's it worth, to you?" he asked gruffly, adding a slight suggestion to his tone.

"Oh, I think we both know you're asking what it's worth to _you, _Captain," Carina answered in possibly the most sexy, sultry voice Casey had ever heard.

Casey could tell right off that it wasn't this girl's first rodeo, as the little move she made to slide out of her sundress without so much as touching the garment was something only a true pro could handle. Or a true slut. Either way, when the dress hit the floor, and the young woman stood in front of him wearing the most kickass underwear set he'd ever seen, his brain shut off.

The next few moments were a blur. There was kissing, fondling, falling onto the bed, Agent Miller wrapped in his arms. There was shifting of bodies, and then there was handcuffs. Wait. Handcuffs?

"Wha – where are you going?" Casey asked as Carina crawled off the bed.

He tried to move to follow her, but, oh yeah, the handcuffs.

"Sorry, Johnny," Carina said innocently. "Do you mind if I call you Johnny?" She paused. "Well, I guess in your current predicament, I guess I can call you whatever I want."

"You bitch!" Casey spat.

"Now, now, Captain Casey. That's no way to talk to, well, maybe you have a point." She laughed a little to herself. "Anyway, don't you worry. I'll be back to let you out in a bit. Maybe. If things with the nerd go as planned, it might be longer than you'd like, but I'll be back."

* * *

**Chuck's Room  
Costa Gravas  
December 23, 2002  
01:30 GMT -5:00:00**

Chuck was only half awake, but he clearly felt the weight of someone draped across him, a head on his chest, an arm thrown across him. It was how Sarah would almost always end up when they slept together, so it didn't really startle him. In a way, he'd almost come to expect it. Even appreciate it.

"Mmm," he muttered, wrapping his arm around his sleeping companion.

"Chuck," she whispered. "Get up, Chuck."

Why would Sarah want him to wake up? And also, why didn't Sarah sound like Sarah? Why didn't she smell like Sarah? And why was Sarah in bed with him when she was supposed to be off completing a solo mission?

Chuck's eyes snapped open, and instead of the beautiful blonde he'd been living with over the past few months, he was greeted by a fiery redhead with smoky blue eyes, and a devilish grin.

"You're not Sarah!" he said, nearly jumping out of the bed.

Carina laughed. "No, I'm most certainly not. She's not here right now, Chuckie." A pause. "But I am."

"Carina?" Chuck asked, still startled. "Wha – what are you doing here."

Casey had warned him from the start that this Agent Miller could be bad news. That Chuck shouldn't trust her. Yet, here she was, in bed with him. And coming on to him? Really?

"You looked lonely," she observed. "Thought I'd come give you some company. And some other things," she added suggestively.

Yep. She was definitely coming on to him. Was she really interested in him, or did she want something? And more importantly, did it even matter? While he and Sarah hadn't developed an actual relationship, there was certainly something there. Something Chuck wanted to explore, if she ever came back. But of course she'd come back. She'd promised. And he could trust Sarah to keep her promise, right?

"I, um, I don't think this is a good idea," Chuck said, pulling the covers up around his neck, and scooting away from Carina as quickly as he could manage.

"And why's that?" Carina asked, her expression becoming somewhat more serious. As serious as Chuck thought she was capable, anyway. From the little time he'd spent with her, she seemed to be much more about "play time" than "serious time".

"Because, you know, um, Casey said I shouldn't spend too much time alone with you," he said. "And you know, he's in charge and all, and I wouldn't want to get in trouble." Well, maybe that wouldn't convince her. "And I wouldn't want _you_ to get in trouble."

"Oh, I don't think the Captain will be getting in our way," Carina said with a smirk. "He's kind of, well, tied up at the moment."

Chuck swallowed, hard. "What did you do to him?"

Carina giggled, which was strange. Should agents giggle? "Don't worry, Chuck. I didn't do anything to him that he wasn't asking for. Of course, I didn't do _everything_ to him that he was asking for."

"What does that even mean?" Chuck asked.

"Well," Carina drawled. "I can show you better than I can tell you."

Chuck's discomfort with the whole Carina situation was growing by the second.

"Well, I mean, what about Sarah?"

"What about her?" Carina asked. "She's not here, and what she doesn't know, won't hurt her. Unless of course, you _want_ her to know. If that's the case, I'll be sure to tell her all about what goes on between us."

"Nothing is going to go on between us!" Chuck said.

"Why not?" Carina pouted. "Don't you find me attractive?"

Chuck began to panic. He was torn between his sudden need to get this woman, this incredibly sexual being, away from him, and his natural inclinations to be a gentleman, at all time. The latter eventually won out. "Well, I mean, of course I find you attractive. You're a beautiful woman."

"Thank you," Carina said. "So then, what's the problem? You _do_ like women, don't you, Chuck?"

"What? Yes! Of course I do! It's just, Sarah and I have developed –"

"Sarah's an agent, Chuck," Carina said with a sigh. "Anything you perceive as 'something between you' is a play on her part."

That couldn't be true, could it? Sarah really cared about him. She'd said as much, when they both thought they were going to die. And Chuck cared about her, despite how hard he'd tried to distance himself from her in the beginning.

"You don't know that!"

"Chuck, how much do you know about the training a female agent goes through? What has Sarah told you about Infiltration and Inducement of Enemy Personnel?" Carina asked.

Carina had a point. Sarah hadn't brought up anything about her training, really. She'd said she hadn't killed anyone, and she admitted that, in the beginning, she was trying to seduce him. But other than that, how could he know anything about her? About her true intentions?

"Well, not much," Chuck said. "Actually, nothing, really," he admitted.

Carina smiled again. "Then let me tell you a little story about what we agents call 'Seduction School', Chuck," she said. "Then, you can decide how you feel about the girl you know as Sarah Walker."

* * *

**Chuck's Hotel Room  
Costa Gravas  
December 29, 2002  
16:05 GMT -5:00:00**

The past week would've been boring to Chuck, if not for all the turmoil it had caused him. He hadn't really been doing anything. There were a few intel packets he was asked to look over, more so to test the Intersect than anything, but by and large, Chuck and Captain Casey had been benched.

Carina would stop by the hotel from time to time to update the team on her progress in infiltrating the Premiere's inner circle, but they didn't see much of her.

Of course, her little visits were enough to pour even more salt into the wounds she opened that night the previous week. She would talk about how she was playing one of Goya's flunkies, and it would just remind Chuck of the things she'd said Sarah was most likely doing to him.

It took so long, in the beginning, for Chuck to begin trusting Sarah. Well, he trusted her from the beginning as an agent, but the trust he'd built in her as a person had almost been completely shattered by Carina's tale of seduction training.

Still, he felt that, if he could just see Sarah, if he could just talk to her, that she would make his doubts go away. That maybe, she would finally open up to him, and be completely honest. Because that's what people who care about each other do, right?

But for six long days, she hadn't come back, and Chuck had been left alone to his thoughts about what might be. And those thoughts almost always drifted to worst case scenarios. That Sarah was just playing him for her own gain. For advancement in her career. For control of him as an asset. For whatever, it didn't matter. Getting played wasn't fun regardless of the reason.

Chuck growled in frustration, and pounded the table in front of him. These thoughts were going to drive him mad. Perhaps a shower would help relieve some stress?

Chuck stood and walked toward the bathroom, only, before he could reach it, the door to his room swung open, and revealed the object of his many musings: Sarah Walker.

She looked different, Chuck realized. She looked tired, and worn down. She looked like she'd been put through hell. And when she covered the space between them, and threw her arms around him without so much as a word, Chuck could _feel_ the stress that he thought he'd observed a moment earlier.

He thought he heard her sob into his shoulder, but when he pulled away slightly to look on her face, there were no tears. At least not fresh ones, though it did appear that her cheeks may have been stained by a recent cry. Or maybe his eyes were just playing tricks on him.

"It's good to see you, Sarah," he admitted. "I, um, there are some things that I kind of want to talk about."

* * *

**Next time: **What has Sarah such an emotional mess? Will she open up to Chuck, or will she try to hide her pain and guilt? And how will Chuck take this Sarah that's an emotional train wreck? Will he know how to handle her, or will he misread the situation? And how will Carina's little talk come into play? All this and more, next time in **Chuck the College Years**.

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_A/N: So what did you think of the new format? Does it work, or should I go back the drawing board? I seriously want some opinions on that. Also, what do you think Carina said that has Chuck so upset? And how will it come into play? I always love speculation, haha, because often times, it alters what I plan to do with the next chapter. Anyway, I look forward to your feedback, and as always, you guys are awesome. Peace. _


	21. When Things Turn Sour

_A/N: Okay, I think people generally liked things being from Chuck's POV in the last chapter, so I stuck with it in this one. Plus, it makes the story a little more interesting, when I limit myself to one POV. This way, there are things going on that don't get mentioned, and you, the audience get to try to read into them yourselves. Isn't that fun? Don't you just love mystery? Boy, I know I do. Anyway, that's one of the things I have to thank the amazing __**Frea O'Scanlin**__ for. The Chuck perspective idea was all her influence, and seeing how well it works in her __**What Fates Impose**__, I had to agree that it can be an amazing format. Also, I need to thank her for taking a look at this chapter early on, when it was just crap, and helping me to make it less like crap, haha. Oh, and also, __**MXPW **__came through with a couple of really good ideas and points that I think really cleared up some potential holes in the chapter. He's long been an important part of my writing process, particularly on this story, and once again, that is certainly the case here. And finally, I want to thank all you readers who make it fun to write. Yeah, the reviews have been down a little the past couple of chapters. Part of that is probably my fault for going so long without an update, and, er, other things (heh, April Fools anyone?), but I do appreciate those of you that are sticking it out with me. It is now my goal to update this story once a week, up through completion. I figure I have probably 5 or 6 chapters left, maybe a couple more, and we'll be done. Anyway, yeah, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I look forward to your reviews. Thanks!_

_Oh, and a special note about the formatting of this chapter. It's kind of self explanatory, but just to be clear, the stuff in italics is Chuck flashing back to his talk with Carina that was mentioned in the last chapter, and the stuff not in italics is what's going on in present time.

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**Chapter 20: When Things Turn Sour**

"_First of all, you need to understand who Sarah Walker really is," Carina said, sitting up on the bed._

"_And what do you know about Sarah?" Chuck asked skeptically. _

_Carina laughed. "Chuck, you are currently looking at the world's foremost expert on all things Sarah Walker. I know things about her that no one else knows, nor could they know. We've known each other for a long time, after all. We've known each other in every way, in fact."_

"_What does that mean?"_

_Carina grinned. That grin you wear when you know something the other doesn't. But she quickly put it away. "I'm her best friend, Chuck. We were college roommates." _

It was that little detail that initially caught Chuck's attention. He didn't think he'd listen to Carina. Not really. After all, Casey told him that he shouldn't trust Carina, or Agent Miller, because they didn't know her motivations. But if she was Sarah's best friend, then it was okay to listen to her on personal matters related to Sarah, right? Didn't he _have_ to listen to what she said? Wasn't distrusting Carina kind of like distrusting Sarah? And plus, Carina might be able to shed more light on just who Sarah was, and with Chuck's growing affections for his partner, learning more could only be a good thing.

Not that Sarah had been overly secretive around him, of late. She told him where she was from, where she grew up. She was honest about that. Or at least Chuck assumed she was honest about that. She had no reason to lie. Or did she?

Sarah's behavior just before leaving on her mission was confusing, to say the least. She seemed desperate. Conflicted even. And the way she rushed him, as though she was going to kiss him, then pulled back, saying they needed to talk, only to not talk at all, had left Chuck completely befuddled.

So when Carina said she could shine some light on whom Sarah Walker really was, Chuck was all ears. He didn't have to believe Carina. He didn't have to trust her, in any way. But it couldn't hurt to listen, could it? Then he could judge what she was saying on his own.

So he agreed to listen, and planned to ask Sarah about some of the things Carina said when Sarah finally got back. That way, everyone would get a fair chance. It was really the only logical course of action.

"_Sarah, like any good female agent, is more than willing to use her sexuality to accomplish a job," Carina said._

"_But we haven't had sex," Chuck answered. _

"_Oh, that doesn't matter, Chuck. And it's not surprising. Our Sarah was always a little slow on the upswing," Carina said with a chuckle. "But it's not about the actual sex, anyway. It's about the promise of sex. Not a verbal promise, mind you, but her body language will constantly tell you that she wants you. Needs you, even."_

When Sarah walked back into Chuck's hotel room, and back into his life, she immediately wrapped him in a firm hug. Before his talk with Carina, Chuck would've taken the hug at face value. Sarah was his friend, if not more, and when you've been away from a friend for awhile, a hug is an acceptable gesture.

Only now, the seed of doubt had been planted in his head. He found himself watching Sarah closely for any signs that she might actually be playing him. It's not that he wanted to, but after hearing Carina's "seduction for dummies" talk, he was powerless to stop his mind from wandering. So when she wordlessly enveloped him in her arms, Chuck tried to pay attention to what her body was saying.

Chuck noticed that, although she was providing the pressure for the embrace with her arms, that it was her breasts and pelvic region that made the most contact with his body. Was that a suggestion? Or was that just the way Sarah hugged? And how did Sarah hug? Did he even remember? Had he hugged her before?

It certainly seemed suggestive, to him. Not inappropriately so, but it was enough to get him thinking about sex. Or maybe it was because Carina brought it up that he was thinking about sex. He really couldn't tell.

That's why, when he pulled away from her, he looked at her face to see if he could find any trace of insincerity. Of course, he didn't. What he saw was pure, raw emotion. Or at least what he perceived to be pure, raw emotion. But then, maybe that was all a part of the play.

"_An agent won't want to talk to you about anything. That's why you'll never get the verbal promise of sex, or of anything else. Words get you in trouble. They make you lie, and once you lie once, you have to keep lying, over and over again," Carina explained. _

"_And once you start lying that much, it gets hard to keep up with all the lies," Chuck said._

"_And then, you're trapped in a web of lies, and one wrong word can lead to the entire web being broken," Carina finished. _

Chuck knew he needed to be upfront with Sarah about his concerns. She'd always been willing to listen before. In fact, she'd constantly encouraged him to talk to her, to open up to her, since he'd known her. So when he told her that they needed to talk, he thought she'd be perfectly fine with that. More than fine, in fact. She should have been overjoyed. Only, she wasn't.

Sarah froze in his arms. He'd never felt her so stiff. A clear sign of fear. But what did she have to fear? Unless of course she had something to hide.

"Sarah, please?" he asked. "Can we please talk?"

"I, um, I really don't feel like talking right now," she said softly. "I had a long flight, and honestly, I just want to lie down for a bit. Will you take a nap with me, Chuck?"

She didn't want to talk. In fact, she offered up a lame excuse, and then prompted him to have _more_ physical contact with her, instead. Words got agents in trouble, and Sarah was trying to avoid words. Isn't that exactly what Carina said she'd try to do?

But still, Chuck wouldn't allow himself to believe that Sarah was playing him. She'd talk to him, in time, and they'd get everything straightened out. He'd see that all of his worries were unfounded, and it was just one big misunderstanding.

"_She'll try to stay in constant physical contact with you. It will become her connection to her mission. The mark, you in this case –"_

"_I don't want to think of myself as a mark," Chuck grumbled, cutting Carina off. _

"_Fine, think of it however you like, but this guy I'm working now? This is exactly what I'm doing with him, so really, I'm just trying to take you through the steps." Chuck wasn't impressed. Carina paused, collecting herself, clearly picking up on his non-verbal cues. "But if you don't want to be called a mark, l guess I can change the phrasing."_

"_Thank you," Chuck said. He didn't miss the little chuckle or the muttered "They're so cute when they're young", but he tried his best to ignore it. _

"_Well, if she's working you, she'll try to keep constant physical contact with you. It's what lets her know you're falling under her spell. You'll probably even feel smothered at times, but that's okay, too, because there will be no doubt in your mind that she wants you, that she needs you."_

He was starting to pick up on more and more of the things Carina talked about. Everything Sarah did seemed to be in line with what Chuck had been told to look out for. And once Sarah returned, Casey had been freed to assist Carina on her mission, leaving Chuck and Sarah alone. A lot. That left plenty of time for Chuck to look out for tells that he was being played. Like, for instance, the sleeping tell.

Chuck first noticed it the first time they went to bed together after Sarah's return. It was the "nap" she'd asked for, and just as they had every time they'd gone to sleep since they first checked into the hotel, before she left, Sarah slept very close to Chuck. But it felt different now. Used to be just snuggling, but now it was like it was just _more_ than it was before. She was somehow even closer than she'd ever been. It was almost like she was trying to sleep inside of him.

While before, her head had rested on his chest, and her arm was always thrown over him, now, almost her whole body was on top of his. And her arm wasn't just thrown over him, it was wrapped around him, and she held him so tight that it almost obstructed his breathing.

If not for Carina's talk, he would've thought nothing of it, but now, he couldn't help but read into it a bit. Especially when it continued over the next few nights. Sarah would always put herself almost completely on top of Chuck, and hold him possessively.

And it wasn't just during sleeping hours. When they were awake, Sarah never seemed to miss an opportunity to squeeze his shoulder when he was sitting at the table doing paperwork. She never passed up a chance to grab his hand, when they were sitting near one another. She would play with his hair for no reason he could think of.

She was in constant contact with him.

And while her face often looked sad, conflicted, or guilty even, she never gave up the physical connection, just like Carina said.

"_Most of all, she'll avoid ever telling you anything about herself. Anything real, that is."_

"_She already told me a lot about herself," Chuck said smugly. "I know where she's from. I know where she went to school –"_

"_I'm her best friend, did you know about me?" Carina asked. _

_Chuck hesitated, then shook his head in the negative._

"_Do you know anything about her training? Do you know her real name?"_

"_No," Chuck admitted. _

"_Do you even know where she was going on her solo mission?"_

"_I don't," Chuck said._

_Carina sighed. "And that's because you're a job to her, Chuck." Chuck started to protest, but Carina cut him off. "I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm just being honest. For whatever reason, it's her job here to keep you interested in her, and that's what she's trying to do. Don't take it personally. It's just work."_

"_Why are you telling me all this?" Chuck asked, deflated. _

_Carina shrugged. "I thought you deserved to know. Well that, and whatever the mission here, it seems important."_

"_And…"_

"_And if Sarah fails her mission, to keep you interested, they might look to someone else. Someone that could definitely keep you interested. Maybe someone that was up front with you from the start?"_

Sarah had been back four days, and still, Chuck hadn't been able to get her to open up. She wouldn't tell him where she'd been, which bothered him. Before she left, he thought they were starting to develop some semblance of a connection. It felt so real, and yet, for whatever reason, she was still hiding things from him.

But more than that, Chuck was bothered by the fact that she wouldn't tell him what was bothering her, and something clearly was. It seemed to be worse whenever Chuck would ask about her solo mission. Before she refused to answer his questions, she would always get this far off look on her face, almost as if she was haunted by something. But then when he'd ask her about it, she'd deny that anything was wrong, and try to change the subject.

Sarah was deflecting at every turn, just as Carina said she would, and that hurt Chuck more than he cared to admit.

That little dance went on for four long, excruciating days. Four days of Sarah refusing to talk, and seemingly needing constant physical contact from Chuck. Four days while Carina and Casey completed their mission.

Finally, on the fifth day, there was a change. It wasn't the change Chuck was hoping for, but at least it would send him back home.

Chuck was watching television when Carina and Casey entered the room. Casey looked upset about something, but whatever it was didn't seem to bother Carina. But then, did anything bother Carina?

"We're done," Casey said tersely.

Sarah emerged from the bathroom. "You," she swallowed, "you killed the Premiere?"

"Nope," Carina said, a little too cheerily. "We got some new intel. They called off the assassination. Seems Goya's going to start playing nice."

Casey growled. It wasn't a happy growl, if such a thing even existed, and Chuck could tell that the veteran agent was very upset by the turn of events. Why would a person be so gung-ho about killing someone else? Chuck didn't get that, at all. But he figured it wasn't really for him _to_ get, so he shrugged it off.

"So what do we do now?" Chuck asked.

"We go back home," Casey answered plainly.

A small smile started to form on Chuck's face. Home. He'd finally get to finish his visit with Ellie before classes started back. That was something to look forward to. And also, maybe once they were home, Sarah would go back to being the person she was before. That would certainly be a relief, as the Pod!Sarah that had replaced his CIA handler was no fun.

"You hear that, Sarah? We get to go home!" he said excitedly.

Sarah didn't seem all that enthused. She looked off into space for a moment, getting that look on her face that she always seemed to get of late before refocusing her attention on Chuck. She sighed, then: "Back to work then, I guess," she said with a shrug before turning and going back into the bathroom.

Casey walked out of the room, probably to go pack up his gear, leaving Chuck alone with Carina.

"Work, huh?" Carina asked. She looked at Chuck with an expression somewhat akin to sympathy. "I'm not going to say I told you so, Chuck, but _work_?"

It shouldn't have bothered him, he knew. It was just a word. _Work_. But after everything else that happened. After Sarah started confirming everything Carina warned him about, he was just a bit on edge. "Yeah, I know," Chuck said sadly. "Maybe you were right."

* * *

**Next Time: **Chuck and Sarah are headed back Stateside, but have things between them gotten too strained to correct? Will Sarah wise up, and just communicate with Chuck? And what's her deal, anyway? Also, Sarah will reveal something real about herself to Chuck. What is it? Well, tune in next time to find out!

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_A/N: Alright, that's it for now, guys. Like I said, I'm now trying to get one of these chapters out every week. This is really the only thing I'm working on currently, and I think doing it that way should help me be more productive. So, yeah, I hope to have this story finished up by at least mid-June. That's the idea, anyway. One other thing. I didn't put any scene-breaks in this chapter. I didn't know if I needed them. If it's too distracting as is, let me know, and I can go back and fix that. Alright, so, I hope you enjoyed the chapter ,and I look forward to your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	22. Take a Sad Song and Make It Better

_**A/N: **__First of all, I would like to say, for the record, that the delay between chapters wasn't my fault this time. At least, not completely. See, a few weeks ago, not long after I published chapter 20, my hit counter on this site broke. Well, I reasoned that there was no sense in writing when I couldn't even tell if what I was writing was being read, so I decided that I wouldn't continue work on College Years until the hit counter was fixed. It ended up being down almost two weeks, only coming back online at the end of last week. That's when I started work on this chapter. And I think the break, and the wait worked out well, if I do say so myself (and I do). Hopefully you'll agree. Also, you'll notice that I've switched back to Sarah's POV in this chapter. I felt she was getting a little too much grief from the readers, and I realized that you guys didn't know where she was coming from, so I decided it was time to lift the veil._

_Onto the thanks portion of this deal. So, __**MXPW**__, who is incredibly awesome, as I'm sure you all know (and if you don't, then I question your judgment) has long been an important part of the creative process on this story. I probably wouldn't have made it past the first 3 or 4 chapters without his constant feedback, input, and general motivation. But this chapter, he went above and beyond. Now, I'm not one to generally work with a proper beta, but __**Mx**__ did so on this chapter, and he did a bang up job. As such, this will probably be the most technically sound, and least error filled chapter yet, haha. Now, I'm sure he couldn't catch all my mistakes, as they are too numerable, but he did what he could, and it was greatly appreciated. Also want to thank the great __**Frea O'Scanlin**__ was taking an early look at this, and kind of making me feel good about where I stand on it. She's amazing, and if you're not reading her work, then you're TOTALLY missing out. Now, this chapter wasn't going to come out until Monday, but then I realized I needed to make a time-sensitive announcement, so:_

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_**2010 Awesome Awards for Excellence in Chuck Fanfic**__: So, I don't know how many of you frequent the TWoP Kicked Us Out But We Still Love Chuck forum on this site, but one of the OGs of Chuck fic, __**NotoriousJMG **__has organized the second annual awards for all Chuck fiction. Nominations are being taken now, up through Monday, so you should totally get your booty over there, and nominate your favorite authors. Now, I'm not saying you have to nominate me (though if you want to, I wouldn't be sad), but you should definitely give some love to all of your favorites for all the hours they put in, for free, for your entertainment._

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**Chapter 21: Take a Sad Song and Make It Better **

**January 14, 2003**

_"The smoke of their__torment__ascendeth up for__ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night." -_Rev. 14:11

Sarah had never believed in the concept of Heaven and Hell. Religion was one of many things her father made sure she knew was for suckers. And even the small part of her that wanted to have faith in something greater than herself knew that, if there was a Hell, it was her ultimate destiny to one day go there. She just never thought it would come so soon.

It may have seemed to an outside observer to be a bit melodramatic, but for Sarah, her life had become the living embodiment of Hell. In fact, since returning from her first solo mission, her spy final exam, she'd spent hours every night, after Chuck would go to sleep, researching the idea of Hell, and what came with it just to be sure.

It wasn't as though she didn't have the time. She had nothing _but_ time.

She couldn't sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, she was tormented by the visual memory of what she'd done. She couldn't put it out of her head.

The night of her mission, Sarah had been sick to her stomach at the thought of what she'd allowed the Agency to turn her into. She couldn't keep food down the following nights, either. She hated herself, and she hated her superiors, and she hated her job. She sat through the debriefings that followed with a dead look on her face. It matched how she felt inside.

It was only the thought of returning to Chuck that made her feel even a little better.

Then when she got her orders to return to her team, to her asset, the dread of what that really meant began to sink in.

The entire flight from Washington to Costa Gravas, she thought about how Chuck would see her now that she was different. And she knew deep in her heart that she _was_ different. So even though she hadn't been given orders to keep her mission a secret, she vowed to herself that she'd never tell him. She'd never let him know how she'd changed.

When she arrived at the hotel, and he opened up the door to their room, for just a moment, she felt whole again. Like everything was going to be all right.

Sarah threw her arms around him, and he held her tight, and it was just perfect, if only for that moment.

But then the questions started. Where had she been? What had she done? And Sarah couldn't answer any of them, so she suggested they just sleep. And Chuck, ever the gentleman, had obliged her request.

He was quiet when he slept. He was peaceful. And that was all Sarah needed at the moment. She would curl up beside him, and hold him, and have him hold her, and the guilt would go away for a little while. She was just a girl, and he was just a guy, and they were together. It didn't matter that she wasn't _actually_ the girl he thought she was anymore. When he slept, he couldn't judge her.

It wasn't until their last day in Costa Gravas that Casey, her new partner, pulled her aside for a talk.

"Heard you passed the test," he said once they were alone.

Sarah swallowed back the bile that tickled her throat at just the mention of what happened during her time away.

"Didn't know if you had it in you," the veteran agent continued. "Congratulations, I guess."

"Thank you," Sarah said weakly. She didn't know what else to say. She couldn't very well tell him that it was the worst experience she'd ever had. That she had nightmares about it whenever she closed her eyes. That she hated herself for following through on her orders. He would take that as a sign of weakness, and she couldn't look weak in front of him.

"So you know I'll expect you to be more professional now."

"What?" Sarah didn't know what he meant by _more professional. _Well, she did, but she didn't want to admit it herself. It didn't take a spy to see that she was entirely too wrapped up in her asset. Too wrapped up in Chuck.

"That shit you pulled before you left? Not controlling the asset? Not pulling the trigger when you had a shot? I won't tolerate that anymore, and neither will the bosses. Not my boss, at least."

"Well my boss says I'm staying right here," Sarah shot back. She knew Graham had her back. He'd said so when she was in Washington. He said that her job was safe because of the asset's connection to her. That it was a major advantage for the CIA to have their agent in place hold so much favor with the Intersect. That part actually made her feel even guiltier, but if it secured her place as Chuck's protector, well, Sarah wasn't above taking advantage of whatever situation she found herself in.

Casey merely grunted in reply. But that grunt seemed to imply _so_ much. Would he be looking over her shoulder constantly? Probably. Did she have anything to worry about? Well, Beckman had just as much say in the operation as Graham. No more, of course, but if one of the leads of the project was completely against her continued participation, Sarah knew she could possibly find herself reassigned.

So she resolved to act more professionally, at least around Casey. She would strive not to show just how horribly compromised she was. And she knew she was. She would be the good little agent. Or at least to the best of her abilities.

So when Chuck got all excited about going home, Sarah just shrugged it off and made some flippant comment about going back to work, because she knew Casey might be listening. He was _always_ listening, after all.

Chuck seemed put off by her comment, but he didn't say anything about it, so Sarah assumed his disappointment, or whatever it was, would pass.

Only, it didn't. When they got back to L.A. on January 5th to say goodbye to his sister, he was distant. And she wrote that off to him being sad that he didn't get to spend the holidays with the only family he had in the world, and having to go back to school so quickly, with classes starting back the next day.

But when they returned to Palo Alto, to the apartment they shared just off campus, things didn't improve. Chuck was just as distant. Just as quiet. And Sarah could swear that it was because, somehow, he knew the truth. Even though there was no _way_ he could know the truth.

Unless Casey told him. But no, Casey wouldn't tell him. The man might be gruff, and bereft of feelings, but he wasn't unprofessional, and spouting off about her on-the-job exploits would certainly be unprofessional.

Still, the more distant Chuck made himself, the more depressed Sarah became. He wouldn't snuggle with her at night anymore. He quit asking her questions about what she'd done on her mission, which should have been a relief, except that he'd quit talking to her altogether. Now he only spoke to her to relay necessary information, like a flash he had, or something Casey told him, or when he was going to class, or that dinner was ready.

Every day was more depressing, and more guilt-filled than the day before, and after being back in Chuck's life for just over two weeks, Sarah saw no reprieve in sight.

* * *

**January 29, 2003**

It was a Wednesday when she finally found that reprieve. One month to the day after she returned from her final spy test. One month of hell. That's when things started to look up. Or at least, that's when she found that there was something out there that could make her feel a little better.

It started like any other day.

Sarah had one, maybe two hours of fitful sleep under her belt when the alarm clock sounded, and had spent most of the night watching Chuck sleep, feeling guilty, and contemplating her ultimate fate.

Chuck groaned adorably, and rolled over to shut off the horrid noise, as Sarah did her best to appear still asleep.

He avoided her that morning, just as he had so many mornings since he returned to school, and within minutes of awaking, had slipped on a pair of jeans, an old t-shirt, and had left for his morning classes, leaving Sarah all alone.

She was getting accustomed to being alone. Didn't mean she liked it, but on some level, she felt like she deserved it, so she made her way to the living area to sit on the couch, and pour over some training information. When that was over, she did some special online work that would award her the final three hours she needed to complete her degree from Harvard.

_This_ morning, would be different, however. After sitting alone in their apartment for around an hour, Sarah heard a knock on the door. Her agent training told her to be cautious. She should have grabbed her pistol from the bedside table before she answered the knock. But she didn't. Instead, she walked over and threw the door open, not really caring who might be on the other side.

She was fortunate. Her early morning caller wasn't a terrorist, or a bad guy of any kind. It was her partner. She didn't see much of him, usually. Captain Casey seemed content to monitor Chuck from afar, and leave the personal contact to her. Not that she had much personal contact with Chuck now days, especially not as much as she would've liked, but what contact was made was left up to her.

"We got a mission," the veteran agent spoke gruffly.

"What?" Sarah asked. Missions were few and far between for the team. Other than the one near-disastrous venture to eliminate Premiere Goya, they had been fairly inactive, waiting for Chuck to finish college so they could begin his training, and put the team out in the field permanently. "What kind of mission?"

"Not much," Casey said. "Asset extraction. We're just the only operatives in close proximity, so they want us to oversee it. It's not much, but I figured you could use something to do."

Funny how he could read her. Not that the mission seemed like anything interesting, but at least it would get her out of the apartment. Would get her away from all the reminders of what she'd lost when she went on her solo mission only a month prior. Things like her innocence, her humanity, and her Chuck.

"What about watching Chuck?" she asked.

"The geek's got his watch on. He can alert us if anything happens, and the exchange is going down on campus, so we won't be too far to react. Not like we can go inside the classes, anyway," he answered.

Sarah chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. Not that there was anything to think about, but she didn't want to come off as _too_ anxious. "Fine," she said. "Let me grab my gun."

The mission itself should have been rather simple. There was a CIA scientist named Busgang in town to meet with a psychology professor, and CIA asset in his own right, named Fleming. Apparently some foreign intelligence operation had caught wind that the meet was going down, and potential hostiles had been spotted in the area.

It wasn't known if there was any real threat, but the Agency wasn't taking any chances, and wanted to make sure the exchange of Busgang to his extraction team went off without a hitch.

Sarah and Casey were to stay out of sight, but watch closely to make sure nothing suspicious seemed to be going on.

They sat in wait for over an hour. The extraction team was scheduled to arrive at any minute, and honestly, Sarah was bored out of her mind. She'd taken to fiddling with one of her throwing knives, holding it in her hand, mimicking her throw and release, just to have something to do.

When the van pulled up, Casey turned the engine to his Crown Victoria on, anticipating being able to leave, once Busgang was escorted to out. Only, before the asset and his handlers came out of the hotel, a second van arrived on the scene.

Six men, dressed in all black and clearly armed, to the trained eye, jumped out of the second van, and began making their way into the hotel. Sarah knew the idiots working the front desk wouldn't be able to tell the spies from Adam, but she could.

"Was there supposed to be a second van?" Sarah asked, eyeing the entrance.

"Nope. One van. Four agents."

"So we should probably go check things out?" she asked.

Casey grunted in the affirmative, ejecting and checking the magazine from his Sig, before stepping out of the car. Sarah similarly tucked away the throwing knife she'd been holding in her ankle sheath, before exiting the car herself, her Smith & Wesson held down by her side.

The two agents walked through the lobby of the hotel, avoiding notice by the staff before making their way to the elevator. Casey pressed the button for the fourth floor, where Busgang was staying.

When they arrived on the proper floor, Sarah and Casey both held their firearms out, preparing for anything when the doors slid open. They were greeted by the seemingly dead, or at least unconscious bodies, of the extraction team.

Casey put his back to the wall, as Sarah rushed across to do the same on the other side of the elevator bank. The two agents moved slowly to peer around the corner. Seeing nothing, they stepped out of their cover and moved slowly down the hall toward Busgang's room.

When they reached the room, Casey wasted no time in kicking the door in. Sarah followed close behind him, both of them their guns at the ready.

Unfortunately, the enemy had already been there, as was evidenced by the overturned furniture and the empty room.

"The stairs," Casey said simply.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Sarah was sprinting from the room, down the hall to the staircase. When she reached her destination, she kicked open the door, and prepared for anything that might be on the other side.

She hesitated just a moment once the door was open, and it turned out to be the right move, as the ruckus she'd caused drew a warning shot from the enemy operatives.

Once the shot was fired, Sarah stepped through the door, firing off a warning shot of her own. Now they would know she was armed, too. She cautiously moved to look over the railing, and spotted the asset being held by his six captors. She heard Casey finally come up behind her.

"Down two flights. All six still standing. Asset's alive," she whispered.

Casey looked for himself, drawing another shot from the operatives. Both Sarah and Casey retreated from the railing to regroup.

"They'll be out of here before we can get down using the elevator," Casey stated.

"Yeah, but we can't rush them from up here. High ground or not, they'll hear us coming, and it's still six-on-two," Sarah answered.

"Any bright ideas, CIA?"

Sarah thought for a moment before an idea began to form in her head. It would be tricky, and dangerous, but she knew she could pull it off. And if she didn't pull it off, well, no big loss. It's not like anyone would care, anyway.

"After I drop, start down the stairs. When you hear my voice, make your move. They'll be distracted."

"Wait, what? After you _drop_?" Casey asked.

Sarah didn't bother to answer. She tucked her pistol into her waistband before moving back over to the railing. There was just enough space there for someone as thin as her to slip between. She stepped over the rail, took a deep breath, and jumped.

She knew intellectually how fast she was actually falling, but for whatever reason, things seemed to be moving in slow motion. She watched the walls and the stairs move past her vision in a blur. Then she saw the bad guys. And they saw her, but the shots they fired were too delayed to risk her any harm.

When she reached the floor below them, she reached out and grabbed a firm hold of the rail in front of her. The force nearly tore her shoulders from their sockets, but she managed to hold on despite the pain, and quickly climbed over the railing, and back onto the staircase.

She moved slowly along the wall behind her, back toward the bad guys. When she could just barely see them around the bend, she knew the time to act was upon her.

"Casey, now!" she shouted.

She heard shots ring out from behind the enemy operatives, and two of the bad guys immediately dropped. Sarah stepped out from behind her cover in time to see the group turn around, giving her an ample window to open fire, herself. She took down three with perfectly grouped torso shots, leaving just one man standing.

"Freeze!" she shouted to the lone standing combatant.

The man looked like he was going to turn his weapon on himself, but before he could squeeze a round off into his own head, Casey was on him, knocking the gun from his hand, throwing him to the ground, and cuffing him.

The veteran agent looked up at his young partner, a look of admiration on his face. "You did good, rookie."

Sarah couldn't help but smile a little. She wasn't often proud of herself, but this was certainly a case where she felt it was deserved. And on top of that, this mission had gotten her out of her funk, at least for a little while.

And it wasn't he mission itself, as much as it was the rush she felt. While she was jumping, and falling, and fighting, and shooting, not once did she think of all the shit that was going on in her life. Not once did she think about Chuck, and how she'd ruined her relationship with him. And not once did she feel dead inside.

Instead, she felt more alive than she had in a long time. Since before she went on her mission. It got her blood pumping in a new and exciting way, and it was the first time she felt like herself again in over a month. And God, she couldn't wait to have that feeling again.

"Thanks," she said. "We should do this more often."

* * *

**February 7, 2003**

It was a week before Valentine's Day. A day meant for lovers to be lovers, for boyfriends to shower their girlfriends in gifts and affection, and for girlfriends to wear naughty underwear and have lots of sex with their boyfriends. And up until 45 days ago, it was a day that Sarah would have been looking forward to.

But not now. Now, it was just another day. Since she'd driven Chuck away with her strange behavior, Valentine's Day would just be a bitter reminder that she was alone in the world. And rightfully so. She didn't think she was deserving of love. Not anymore. Not after what she'd done, what she'd become.

Sarah sat in the kitchen of their darkened apartment, a half empty bottle of whisky on the table in front of her, a picture frame in her hands. Over the past few weeks, when she couldn't find any excitement, she had been turning to alcohol. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as risking her life, or taking someone else's, but it would do in a pinch. Still, she missed the action.

Stupid rain.

If not for the weather, she could go out for a run, or better yet, she could go for a walk around campus and try to pick a fight with someone.

But because of the rain, it was unlikely she'd find anyone willing to give her the time of day, and Casey had flat-out told her that he needed a day off from their sparring sessions, and with no missions seemingly anywhere in sight, she was left without any form of physical release.

So she drank. And brooded.

The apartment door creaked as it opened, drawing Sarah's attention. She checked her watch, and sure enough, it was time for Chuck to be home.

He walked into the kitchen, setting his books down on the counter. After getting a bottle of water from the fridge, he flipped on the lights. The sudden change in lighting hurt Sarah's eyes, and her head, and she squinted to help acclimate herself to the change.

"What are you doing sitting in the dark?" he asked.

Sarah was surprised to hear his voice. Surprised that he was talking to her at all. That was certainly a change from their recent interactions. Still, she couldn't bring herself to answer his question. What was she going to say? Admit that her life was miserable, and that she missed him? Missed their talks? Missed everything about him? No, that was too close to admitting feelings, and if she admitted her feelings to him, he'd just crush her more when he rejected her.

But she didn't have to answer his question. The half empty bottle of bourbon spoke for itself.

"Ah, I see," he said. "So you're a midday drinker now?"

Sarah sighed. She still didn't want to respond to his questions, but she was buzzed enough that she couldn't help a bit of truth slipping past her lips.

"We looked so happy then," she said wistfully, running her finger reverently over the picture she held in her grasp.

Chuck walked around behind her, taking a look at the picture. It was a photo taken of them months back at the football game they'd attended together. A girlfriend of one of Chuck's fraternity brothers had taken it, and given it to Sarah. She'd framed it that very week, saying that they needed to have some pictures of _them_ in their apartment, to keep up appearances. She'd never admitted to Chuck how much she treasured the photo. Not until now.

"Well, you _told_ me to look happy," he said. Sarah couldn't tell if he was trying to make a joke, or not. She was never good with such things. Still, it hurt to hear him dismiss what they once had out of hand like that.

"You weren't happy?" she asked, silently begging him to admit that he enjoyed spending time with her like she had enjoyed her time with him.

Chuck seemed to ponder her inquiry for a moment. It was a moment that seemed to drag on forever, in Sarah's mind. It shouldn't have been a hard question. Either he enjoyed being with her, or he didn't.

"It's just," Chuck paused, dragging Sarah's agony out even more. "You're not the same person you were then. Something changed, and you won't talk to me about it. You won't let me in, let me help you, and I don't know what to do."

Chuck was right. She _had_ changed. Only, she knew, if he found out what changed about her, he'd be disgusted by her. He'd hate her for what she'd allowed herself to become, just like she hated herself for letting them change her.

"See, right now, this would be the perfect time for you to tell me what's going on with you. I thought we agreed at that warehouse that we cared about one another, and that we were going to try to have something together, but we can't do that if you're not willing to be open with me," he said.

Sarah knew he was right. If she wanted something real with him, if she wanted a relationship, she would have to be honest with him. The problem was, she knew she wasn't worthy of him anymore, and it broke her heart to know that the only path to truly being with him would only lead to him turning away from her, for good.

Chuck sighed. "You know, while you were gone, while I was still in Costa Gravas, Carina and I had a talk."

Sarah's head shot up, and for the first time, she met his gaze. The mention of her former roommate pulled her from her near drunken stupor.

"What did she say, Chuck? What did she tell you about me?" Sarah asked, anger and panic coloring her voice.

Chuck's face screwed up into almost a sneer. Something was making him angry, too. And confused. Sarah prided herself on being able to read people. One of the—if not the only decent lesson her father ever taught her, and anger and confusion was clearly at the forefront of Chuck's swirling emotions.

"She told me the truth," he said. And Sarah was impressed by his ability to keep the emotion from his voice. Didn't make the words any easier to hear. "She told me how you would try to use me, control me, manipulate me. How you were trained to do that, and how I'd be able to tell."

"But I—"

"Can I finish?" Chuck asked, his voice rising to the anger that was clearly just below the surface. Then he took a cleansing breath: "But do you know what hurt most of all?"

"What?" Sarah asked meekly.

"I tried to defend you. I told her that you weren't doing any of those things. That what we had, you and me, that it was real. That we really cared about each other. I told her all of that. Then you came back, and you did everything she said you would. You proved her right," he finished.

Sarah didn't know what to say. She suddenly found the bottle of booze _very_ interesting, as she contemplated her situation. What do you say to someone that thinks you're using them, when all signs point to you doing just that? More importantly, how do you defuse the situation without having to reveal yourself?

The answer, the only answer, she could come up with was that you don't. There was no way out for her, if she wanted to keep everything internalized. No, if she wanted to make things better, she had to be honest with him. He would reject her either way, but if he knew the truth, at least she could say she went down fighting.

"I killed someone," she said, almost in a whisper.

"What?" Chuck asked, surprised.

"When I was gone, that's what I was doing," she said, her voice gaining in strength, just a bit. "They call it a 'red test'. It's the final hurdle to being a spy. It's like a final exam. They ordered me to make a hit on someone."

"And you did it?" Chuck asked.

God, she could already hear the disappointment in his voice. She could hear him growing to hate her. She shouldn't have said anything.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, Sarah," Chuck said, rushing to sit down next to her. "Please, tell me what's going on."

Sarah took a deep breath. Well, the fight wasn't over. And maybe if would feel good to talk about it with someone. Someone that could actually understand, anyway. Someone that wouldn't look at her first kill like a badge of honor, or a contest won, like Casey or her superiors.

"I don't know who she was, why she had to die, anything. None of that was in the mission briefing. They just sent me to a spot, told me who I was looking for, and told me to kill her," Sarah explained.

Chuck didn't immediately respond, and now, Sarah found the words spilling forth faster than she could control. "And I didn't want to do it. I didn't. But they told me that if I failed, that I could never be a spy. That my employment would be terminated, and I'd have to move on with my life. And I was completely prepared to do that, except for one thing."

"What's that?" Chuck asked, his attention focused wholly on her now.

"If I got fired, if I had to move on with my life, I knew I'd never get to see you again. And I knew that if I did it, if I killed someone, that you'd hate me for it. How could you not? Who would love a killer? But still, I'd rather have you in my life, and have you hate me, than to have you ripped away from me forever," she said.

She felt tears brimming in her eyes. But she couldn't cry in front of him. _Not. Gonna. Cry_. She couldn't show him how needy she was. Not when he was only going to break what was left of her heart.

"I don't hate you," Chuck said. And the conviction in his voice surprised her, and it almost convinced her that he was telling the truth. There didn't seem to be anything hidden behind his words. It didn't seem to be a lie. But how could he not hate her for what she was?

"But I'm a killer, Chuck. Back at that party, when we were on that mission in Costa Gravas, you asked me if I'd ever killed someone, and I could see the fear in your eyes when you asked me that. And I saw the relief when I told you I hadn't. But now I have. And I know you're disgusted by me, and—"

"I'm not disgusted by you," he said softly. Then taking her free hand—the one not clutching the photo, the relic of her past life—in his, he looked into her eyes. "I still care about you, Sarah."

He still… How could he still care about her? She wasn't worthy anymore. But she couldn't resist reveling in his touch, in his soothing words.

"It was the worst day of my life," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "It's like they stole my humanity from me. And since then, I haven't known what to do, what to say. I don't even know who I am anymore, Chuck."

That's when the tears fell. She couldn't contain them anymore, and the mixture of alcohol, her guilt, and his presence finally overwhelmed her. Fortunately, he was there for her. He embraced her, hugged her close as she began to sob in earnest. God, she'd been holding back all that emotion for so long. Letting it all go was somehow greater than catharsis.

"Shh, it's okay," he whispered into her hair. "It doesn't matter. I know who you are."

What was that? She pulled back, and looked into his eyes, her teary gaze begging him to continue.

"A girl I want to take out for a burger," he said simply.

Sarah couldn't help but smile. "The Creamery?"

"How could we pass up their retro charm?" Chuck asked.

"I do love that charm," Sarah murmured, burying her face back into his shoulder.

"And the greasy goodness. Medium rare," he added.

"With extra pickles," they both said together.

"Please, who you do think you're talking to?" he said teasingly.

And Sarah felt the most sincere, most real smile she'd had in months begin to form on her lips. Maybe there was another outlet for her worries. For her fears. And his name was Chuck.

* * *

**Next Time:**

"What the hell is that?" Chuck asked nervously.

"A motorcycle?"

"Yeah, I get that, but I mean, what are you doing on it? And what do you expect me to do?" Then, looking down at the helmet she'd tossed him: "And why do _I_ have to wear the pink helmet?"

"Sarah, are you sure," Chuck paused, swallowing hard, "are you sure you want this?"

Sarah ran her hand lightly through Chuck's hair, unable to contain the smile that emanated from her very soul. "God, yes. I want this more than anything. I've wanted this since I've known you."

"You've never doubted Orion before," Jill pointed out. "In fact, _you're_ the one that, when I wanted to go our own way told me that we had to stick to the plan. Why doubt him now?"

"I don't know," Bryce said distractedly, watching Chuck's father walk out of the convenience store. "It's just, I'm worried we might be moving kind of early."

"Do you know what tomorrow is, Bryce?" Jill asked. "Tomorrow is my birthday, and I plan on getting my present. So, yeah, I think the timing is perfect."

* * *

_A/N: Okay, so that's all for now, folks. Next update is well in the works (something else I've learned from Frea, besides the bits from the next chapter), and you should probably expect that, hopefully, if not next weekend, then next Monday (when I'll typically update until this puppy is done). Figure I have about 4 or 5 chapters at the most left in this one, so we're winding towards an end. Thank you to everyone that's still along for the ride, and I look forward to your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace._


	23. The Long Kiss Hello Again

_A/N: So, this chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. There's really no excuse for how long I took to write this one, but I'll give one anyway, haha. So I started a new job, that has kind of thrown my sleep schedule all off, and it's been really hard to focus on writing. That, and I've been really caught up in writing stuff over at the Chuck Kink meme on Livejournal. Those two things have just eaten my time recently. In fact, most of this chapter has been done for over a week, but there were parts that I wanted to get just right. That, by the way, is a mentality that is a bit ironic given some of the subject matter of this chapter, and the irony even grows because that particular part of the chapter is the part that gave me the most trouble. Anyway, yeah. So thanks to __**mxpw**__, and __**Frea O'Scanlin**__ as always for being a sounding board for me to work out my many issues, haha. Oh! And they're both nominated for multiple __**Awesome Awards**__, and totally deserve your support. Of course, if you want to support me too, that's a bonus, but those two definitely deserve it more than me. OK, I guess that's about all, for now. Enjoy the chapter, and please review. Thanks!

* * *

_

**Chapter 22: The Long Kiss Hello Again**

**February 14, 2003  
Palo Alto, California**

Sarah was positively giddy. Just a week prior, her life was a miserable pit of despair, and she'd resigned herself to walk alone on a path of self-destruction. It was a path that felt both comfortable and smothering. It was like being trapped in a sleeping bag on a cold night.

But then she opened up to Chuck. And, to her great surprise, he'd not only listened, but he'd tried to understand her. And more than that, he didn't hate her. He cared about her. Really, truly cared about her.

No one had ever cared about her before. Except maybe her daddy, but even he wanted something from her. Chuck didn't ask for anything. All he wanted was to look out for her. It wasn't something she was accustomed to. It wasn't comfortable or smothering, but it was exhilarating. And it made her feel alive. More than that, it made her feel as though she had purpose.

He was still her asset. He still couldn't defend himself should he get into trouble, so Sarah would have to protect him from harm. But he was strong in other ways. He was sweet, and caring, and he could protect her emotionally. They really were a great team.

Still, although they had bonded over the past week, there was still something missing from the equation. Something Sarah intended to fix that night.

Chuck had classes all day on Friday, so while he was away, Sarah set out to prepare a nice, romantic evening in. She had candles scattered all over the apartment, and a nice Pinot noir—a gift from Chuck's sister- chilling on ice. She'd gone out and bought the sexiest lingerie she could find, a red number that the sales associate had assured her would have her man drooling. She actually had a light dinner planned, as she'd learned in seduction school that getting a mark too full could curb their sexual appetite. Not that Chuck was a mark. No, far from it, but she figured the same rules applied to all men, on mission or off. And besides, Chuck needed to be left with plenty of room for dessert.

Sarah considered putting on some mood music, but seeing as her own knowledge of music was nil, and that Chuck would probably be willing to contribute at least that to the evening, she let that go, for now.

With no mission stuff to take care of that day, and Casey shadowing Chuck on campus, Sarah had all day to prepare her perfect setting. Unfortunately, the preparations didn't take her nearly as long as she'd thought, and she was left with three hours of down time, once everything was set up. Those three hours promised to be the slowest of Sarah's life.

Only, they didn't go by that slow at all.

Once she had everything ready, Sarah sat down on the couch to relax for just a moment to clear her head and prepare for her night of intense seduction. A moment, however, somehow turned into far more than that, and the next thing Sarah knew, someone was lighting shaking her in her sleep.

"Sarah, wake up," a voice said.

And she was suddenly awake and kind of alert. As alert as she could be having just come from her slumber. Fortunately, she had enough of her faculties to recognize the voice as Chuck's, preventing her from breaking the arm connected to the hand that was touching her.

But why was Chuck already back? And why was it dark outside?

Suddenly Sarah was fully awake, as the full ramifications of her situation set in. Chuck was home, and she was still in her sweats that she'd worn all day while preparing for their special night. On top of that, she hadn't had time to light any of the candles, or order dinner, or to get things "just right". Dammit! How could she have fallen asleep? How could she be screwing up so badly?

Sarah leapt from the couch, and sprinted to the bathroom, leaving a confused Chuck in her wake. She didn't have time to take a proper shower, but she needed to shave her legs, and brush her teeth, and apply her makeup. And quickly.

But doing all three, in the same sink, at the same time proved to be an extraordinarily difficult task, even for someone as coordinated as Sarah. Fortunately, she avoided cutting herself with the razor, although it was a close call when she almost mistook the razor for her eyeliner. She didn't, however, avoid her toothbrush mistake, and although there wasn't any white left on her cheek, her face still felt sticky and just gross.

Finally satisfied that she'd done an adequate job—even if her makeup was a little uneven, it would be dark, and Chuck wouldn't be able to tell _that_ much—Sarah threw her discarded sweats into the hamper.

When she opened the door to the bathroom, fully prepared to rush to their bedroom to put on her evening attire, she realized that she was wearing nothing but a pair of cotton panties. She quickly slammed the door back shut, and was left with a bit of a difficult situation. After rinsing up, she smelled great, and putting her dirty shirt back on might compromise that. Still, what would Chuck think if she ran out topless? Finally, she reasoned that if things went to plan, that Chuck would get to see everything she had to offer by the end of the night anyway, so when she made her mad dash for the bedroom, it was without "cover".

Finally dressed in her evening wear, she stepped out of the bedroom. It was only when she got back to the living room that she realized she'd left Chuck in the dark.

"Wow, it's dark in here," she observed dumbly.

"Yeah, it is," Chuck answered.

"I'll fix that," Sarah said with a confidence that bellied the butterflies that were running amuck in her belly.

Unfortunately, her faux-confidence didn't extend to her physical body, and her shaking hand was unable to light the candle that sat on the coffee table. She tried three times, but she just couldn't get the match lit.

Her frustration was growing, and she was just about to throw the matches across the room, when Chuck came from behind her and took the box from her hands.

"Let me," he said. Then with a measured ease, he lit the candle.

"My hero," Sarah teased lightly.

"All in a days work, fair maiden," Chuck answered.

"You know, heroes get rewards," she said, wrapping her arms around Chuck's neck, and pulling him to her for a kiss.

It was a nice kiss. No, that wasn't the word. It was a _great_ kiss. So great in fact that Sarah didn't notice when she pushed Chuck back onto the couch that she'd knocked the lone candle off the coffee table. Nor did she notice when the fire spilled onto the carpet.

Luckily, Chuck did.

Sarah groaned in frustration when Chuck pulled away from her, but when she saw why, her eyes shot up in panic.

Chuck grabbed a blanket that was thrown across the back of the couch, and used it to smother the flames before they could spread too much. The fire was contained, with very little damage. But in Sarah's mind, all the damage had been done. She'd successfully ruined her special night.

"I ruined everything," she said, her voice colored with sadness and frustration.

"Sarah, it's all right," Chuck said, placing his hand on her arm reassuringly.

His words, his comforting did nothing to stem all the negative thoughts swirling in her head. "No it's not all right, Chuck," she seethed. "Tonight was supposed to be special. It was supposed to be –"

"Valentine's Day isn't that big a deal," Chuck said. "I mean, yeah, it's supposed to be romantic and all, but you tried. And it's the thought that counts, right?"

"No!" Sarah said. "I mean, yeah, but no. It's not just because it was Valentine's Day. It's because tonight was supposed to be, you know, the first time, and I wanted it to be perfect. But instead, I fall asleep, forget to change, forget to order dinner, and nearly burn down our apartment!"

Chuck sighed. "It's still perfect," he said. "It's perfect because it's us, and we're here, and, you know."

"You really mean that?" Sarah asked meekly, barely meeting Chuck's gaze.

"I do," he answered.

Still, Sarah wasn't convinced he really understood the situation, which frustrated her. "No, Chuck. You _really_ don't understand. I mean, I was planning on this being _the_ first time."

"Our first time together, yeah, I know," Chuck said. Then, an expression of realization washed over his face. His eyes got wide, his jaw dropped open, and he just looked bewildered. "Wait, are you saying, you know, that you're…"

He left the sentence hanging, and Sarah couldn't find the words to answer his unasked question, so she nodded shyly.

"But how is that, I mean, how are you, just how?" he asked.

Sarah was irritated by Chuck's question. Was he saying she looked like a giant slut? "What do you mean?" she asked, a menacing scowl growing on her face.

"Well, I mean, you're _you_."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"You know, _you_. You're smart, cool, and _so_ beautiful. How could you never—"

"You think I'm beautiful?" Sarah asked, cutting him off.

Chuck scoffed. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. And the other stuff is true, too, for what it's worth."

In an instant, Sarah had crossed the small distance between them, and was seated in Chuck's lap, kissing him with every ounce of passion she held. The kissing led to groping, which somehow led to the bedroom, and before Sarah really knew what was happening, she was in a position she'd been waiting on for months: Chuck was going to make love to her.

"Sarah, are you sure," Chuck paused, swallowing hard, "are you sure you want this?"

Sarah ran her hand lightly through Chuck's hair, unable to contain the smile that emanated from her very soul. "God, yes. I want this more than anything. I've wanted this since I've known you."

And as they finally consummated their union, Sarah realized that, although her original plan had gone awry, she'd never been happier in her life. Chuck was hers, she was his, and all was right with the world.

* * *

**March 20, 2003  
Baja, Mexico**

Sarah was happy for the chance at a do-over. True, it wasn't Cabo this time; it was Baja. They also didn't have to endure a 30 hour road trip. No, flying had worked out just fine, and it didn't hurt that their trusty CIA credentials made getting through security in the States a breeze.

But none of that was what made this vacation so enjoyable for Sarah. No, it was the fact that she wasn't on a mission. She wouldn't have to contend with Chuck's ex-girlfriend and Bryce Larkin. For the first time, Sarah was going on a true vacation. And she was going on that vacation with a great guy, who thought she was a great girl.

Chuck was skeptical at first. He thought, and rightfully so, that it was another fake trip for the purposes of Intersect testing, or a mission, or something The Powers wanted him to do. It took Sarah nearly two days to convince him that their Spring Break destination was all her doing. She had some money saved up from when her dad left, and never really had anything to spend it on. Now that she was with Chuck, she finally had a reason to throw some cash around.

Of course, being the gentleman that he was, Chuck had insisted that he at least get to chip in on the cost of the trip, but Sarah had stood her ground on that particular matter. This was something she wanted to do _for_ him. And he'd be doing plenty for her just by being there.

The entire week was looking pretty great in Sarah's eyes. There would be tons of relaxation, maybe some light cocktails, and lots of sex. The last one really got her excited. Now that she'd done it, Sarah couldn't understand why she hadn't been doing it for years. Sex was fantastic. But then, maybe it was so great because she was doing it with someone she really cared about. Because he was someone she was head over heels for. Because he was Chuck, and he was hers.

The fact that there were no planned operations for the week was kind of a bonus. Not that Sarah didn't enjoy missions. In fact, next to being intimate with Chuck, missions were her favorite thing to do. She freely admitted, to herself at least, that she got off on being a bad ass. The thrill of putting her life on the line, and stopping some bad guys from doing whatever it is the bad guys wanted to do was exhilarating to say the least.

And on mission nights, she could go, get the job done, and go home and burn off the excess adrenaline with sex. Her life really had become kind of perfect.

But on occasion, missions would interfere with something Chuck had planned for her. That wouldn't be an issue while they were on Spring Break. Unless of course someone threatened Chuck's security. Then she'd have to revert to bad ass mode. Not that she'd mind. If someone was threatening _her_ Chuck, she'd be more than happy to end their existence before returning to her vacation. Plus post-mission sex was always the best.

"So you're kind of fair-skinned," Chuck said out of nowhere.

They were lying out, trying to catch some sun. A big part of relaxing, Sarah had found, was actually relaxing. She'd never done much of that in her life. As a child on the run with her father, there was never time to rest. They were constantly looking over their shoulder. That same mentality had followed her into college. Even though she no longer had anything to be on the lookout for, she was always guarded, always on watch, always aware of her surroundings.

But slowly, Chuck was teaching her to be a normal person. Well, as normal as a person could be that occasionally had to leap from buildings, shoot bad guys, and engage in hand-to-hand combat with a man twice her size. But Sarah thought she was doing pretty well with her lessons. She'd learned to be just a bit more laid back.

She still checked her surroundings, of course. She was after all Chuck's protector, and if anything happened, Casey was two blocks away, so she'd have to fend for him herself for a few minutes until backup could arrive. But she was at least allowing herself to smell the roses, finally.

"That's why I need the sun," she finally answered.

"Yeah, but I mean, don't you burn? What, are you wearing some special issue CIA sunscreen that protects your porcelain skin against the sun's ruthless rays?" Chuck asked.

"Of course," Sarah deadpanned.

"Really?" Chuck asked, his eyes bulging with surprise.

Sarah chuckled. "No, there's no special sunscreen," she said. "Just normal SPF 30."

Chuck looked disappointed. "Oh," he said. "Sometimes this being a spy can be a bit of a letdown. You build up these fantastical ideas in your head of what the job will be, but the truth is…"

Sarah waited for Chuck to continue his rant. She'd actually grown to enjoy the way he couldn't stop talking when he got started on a subject. It was one of the many things that she adored about him. It was just so endearing. Only, this time, his pause seemed to go on for a bit too long.

"The truth is what, Chuck?" she asked, looking over at him.

But when she saw him, he was shaking his head back and forth. One of the tell tale signs that he'd just had a flash.

"What did you see?" she asked, sitting up.

"Um, well, I saw this guy, that, well, you remember Fulcrum?" he asked, obviously shaken by whatever he'd seen.

"Fulcrum? That rogue CIA faction we encountered back in L.A.?"

"That's the one," Chuck said, swallowing nervously.

"What would they be doing here?" Sarah asked under her breath, looking around to assess their current position. She then turned her focus back to Chuck. "Did you see where he went? Can you give me a description?"

"Yeah, yeah. He went into that bar over there," Chuck said pointing. "He's kind of average height. Probably not as tall as me. Dark hair, Hispanic."

"You just described the majority of the male population here, Chuck. I need more than that," Sarah said.

"Oh, well of course," Chuck said. "He's wearing a white t-shirt, and dark jeans. Oh, and he has on a silver watch, and a ring on his right hand."

"Probably a communication device," Sarah mused. "Listen, Chuck, I'm going to call in Casey and get him to watch the entrance of the bar for anyone leaving that matches that description. You and I need to get back to the hotel."

"I hardly think this is the time for _that_," Chuck teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Sarah couldn't help but to smile. "Later," she said, trying to keep her professional demeanor intact. "Right now, I have to get you to safety."

Casey called just as they were entering their room. The target had noticed Casey, and was on the move. Sarah swore under her breath. Not that she minded a good chase, but she didn't feel comfortable leaving Chuck all alone.

"If I go after this guy, will you promise to stay in the room until I come back for you?" she asked. The desperation was clear in her words.

Chuck seemed to turn her request over in her head for a moment. "Will _you_ promise to be safe?" he asked.

"No," Sarah said. Chuck looked confused by her response, so she decided to elaborate. "I won't be safe at all, but I promise to come back unharmed. Fair enough?"

Chuck tensed noticeably at Sarah's admission that she was, once again, going to put her life on the line. "No, not fair enough," he said. "We're in this together, remember? And you're going to get yourself hurt, or worse if you keep taking stupid chances. So do me a favor and don't go all Charly Baltimore out there, please?"

Sarah couldn't help but to smile. That was a name from one of the many stupid spy movies Chuck made her watch. But that was one she actually kind of liked.

"Are you saying you don't want to bump pelvises when I get back?" she teased.

Chuck blushed, and Sarah knew she'd accomplished her goal: getting Chuck's mind off of her safety.

"Relax," she said, adopting a more soothing tone. "I'm sure it won't come to any insane heroics on my part."

Leaving Chuck behind at the hotel was hard, but Sarah knew it was necessary. Casey might need her help, and even if he didn't, she kind of needed the action. It had been almost two weeks since their last mission, and she was starting to go a little stir crazy while inactive.

When she reached the street outside, Sarah was faced with a bit of a problem. She and Chuck had no transportation. They'd been relying on walking and public transportation to get around. Fortunately, that wasn't too much of an issue for the daughter of a conman. Wasn't like she'd never ridden in a stolen vehicle before, and this time, at least it would be in the name of the "greater good", whatever that was.

Searching the parking lot, Sarah found an easy victim. Apparently someone was planning to made a quick run into the hotel, and had left their Yamaha bike unattended, keys still in it. Dumb ass actually deserved to have it stolen, in Sarah's opinion. And as an added bonus, they'd even left behind a cute helmet.

While Sarah had never actually owned a bike before, she'd learned how to ride in training. And it would probably make for a quick and easy trip to track down the target.

She hopped on, and in a flash, she was off, speeding through the streets of Baja.

Two minutes into her ride, Sarah decided two things. First of all, she decided that she _loved_ going fast, and that she'd have to get a motorcycle of her own, when the team got back to Stanford. The second thing she decided was that Chuck was right. His girlfriend was a total badass.

She grinned to herself at that last thought, though her smile would be hidden from anyone that saw her by the pink helmet she wore. A pity. She wouldn't mind everyone knowing how happy she was.

Her smile only grew when she saw the man she was after trying to flee through a group of people. Casey was hot on his trail, but Sarah knew the target would likely escape before Casey could nab him, so she guided the bike down the back alley the man had just turned down.

She stopped at the mouth of the alley and watched as the target seemed to realize that there was nowhere to escape. Sarah revved the engine twice, and prepared to run him down. It seemed almost too easy.

But as is often the case, nothing is as easy as it seems, and the man pulled a pistol from behind his back and began firing off shots. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be a very good aim, or either Sarah was just lucky, as she had time to drop the bike and scramble out of the way to take cover around the corner of a building.

She peered from behind her cover and fired off a couple of shots of her own before she heard an awful racket come from overhead. It was a helicopter. A helicopter that was lowering a ladder to her target.

It was then that Casey arrived on the scene. Sarah apprised him of the situation, and the two partners took action, Sarah trying to shoot the target before he could get away, and Casey trying to shoot the people in the helicopter. Only Casey found his mark, as a man fell from the open door of the aircraft.

The man that was hit fell only about 15 feet before his legs got tangled in a sign that hung over the alley. There he was suspended by his ankle, but seeing as he wasn't writhing in pain, it appeared that Casey had successfully eliminated him.

The target, however was getting away. He was now successfully loaded into the helicopter, and it appeared they were about to fly away. To make matters worse, Sarah was out of ammo.

But then she noticed something. First, the sign hanging over the alley was suspended over a wooden beam that ran between the two buildings; second, the man that had fallen from the helicopter was caught on only one end of the sign; and finally, she realized the dead man had what appeared to be an H&K MP7 strapped to his leg.

It was a long shot, but then, Sarah was getting accustomed to taking long shots, and having them work out. The plan quickly materialized in her head, and before she knew it, she was sprinting down the alley way.

"Where the hell are you going?" Casey shouted behind her, but Sarah wasn't listening. He'd see, in time.

There was a rope that fell to ground level on both sides of the sign. Sarah took hold of the rope on the side opposite the dead man before pulling a knife from her ankle sheath. She heaved a deep breath, and let the knife fly across the alley way, and into the rope holding the sign up on the other side.

Just as she'd planned, the rope on her own side held the sign and the dead man up. Taking a hold of the rope above the knot, she then cut it on her side.

Sarah held tight as she was lifted off the ground by the superior weight of the dead man on the other side of the makeshift pulley she'd created. As she met the corpse midway through her flight, she snatched the M7 from his side. When she reached the apex of the shift, she let go of the rope, and quickly moved to straddle the wooden beam.

Now much closer to the helicopter, Sarah was able to fire of ten rounds, hitting and dropping the target. The man they'd been chasing plummeted from the open door all the way to the ground.

Apparently she'd hit the pilot too, as the chopper began to dip, turn, and finally fell to the ground two streets over. It wasn't a part of her plan, but she wasn't complaining.

"You see that?" she shouted from her spot perched atop the wooden beam, 25 feet off the ground.

"Good shooting, Walker," Casey answered.

Sarah took another moment to admire her work before dismounting the beam, and gracefully falling to the ground. She landed on her feet like a cat. A very dangerous cat, she decided.

"Listen, Casey, you want to handle the cleanup, or you need me to stick around?" she asked.

"I can handle things here," Casey answered. "You probably need to go check on the geek. And I'll let the bosses know about Fulcrum reemerging."

Sarah nodded. She _did_ need to go check on Chuck. Plus, she had tons of built up adrenaline now that only he could help her burn.

Sarah pulled back up to their hotel five minutes later, still on the stolen, or as she would term it _borrowed_ motorcycle. She'd called Chuck to tell her she was on the way, so he was waiting outside for her. The look of surprise on his face when she took off her helmet was priceless.

"What the hell is that?" Chuck asked nervously, pointing to the bike.

"A motorcycle?" Sarah said. "Here, put this on and let's go for a ride."

"Yeah, I get that, but I mean, what are you doing on it? And what do you expect me to do?" Then, looking down at the helmet she'd tossed him: "And why do _I_ have to wear the pink helmet?"

"Only one we got," she said shrugging. "And you're the Intersect, meaning you get the helmet, and I get to feel the wind whipping through my hair."

"But it's pink!" Chuck complained.

Sarah laughed. "Don't worry, Chuck. I promise, I'll make it up to you when we get where we're going."

"And where are we going?" Chuck asked.

"Ever had sex on the beach?" Sarah asked mischievously.

* * *

**March 28, 2003  
Location: Unknown**

"You've never doubted Orion before," Jill pointed out. "In fact, _you're_ the one that, when I wanted to go our own way told me that we had to stick to the plan. Why doubt him now?"

"I don't know," Bryce said distractedly, watching Chuck's father walk out of the convenience store. "It's just, I'm worried we might be moving kind of early."

"Do you know what tomorrow is, Bryce?" Jill asked. "Tomorrow is my birthday, and I plan on getting my present. So, yeah, I think the timing is perfect."

Bryce pondered Jill's response for a moment. One some level, he understood her motivations, but that didn't make them right. It certainly didn't make them safe. And yeah, Bryce wanted to see his friend again, too. But he just had a sinking suspicious that his two cohorts were too close to the situation to see things rationally.

But all thoughts of what tomorrow held were wiped from Bryce's mind when, seemingly out of nowhere, a swat team appeared from the shadows behind Orion.

"Mr. Bartowski! Look out!" Bryce shouted from inside the car. But even if the older man could hear him, it was too late. He was surrounded heavily armed men. A lot of them, and they were herding him into a nearby van before Bryce could even get out of the car. Still, Bryce knew he should try to help.

"Where are you going?" Jill asked as Bryce opened the door.

"I'm going to help!" Bryce answered.

"You're going to take on an entire tac-unit by yourself?" she asked. "Your ego is bigger than I thought."

"I have to do something," he replied, picking up his sidearm.

"Did you just put a gun in your jacket pocket?" Jill asked. "Isn't that Thing One they teach you in firearms training? Don't create a bulge, people will notice."

"What?" Bryce asked. "You want me to stick it in my pants and shoot my damn dick off?"

"Now you're a sharpshooter?" Jill teased.

Bryce couldn't help but to smirk. When this was all over, and Jill was back with Chuck, he'd miss the back-and-forth, if nothing else. But for now, he needed to focus on saving Mr. Bartowski. Without him, any plans for setting things right would certainly go to waste.

Bryce rushed over to the van. He was on them just before the doors closed, his gun drawn.

"Let him go!" Bryce demanded.

"No, Bryce, it's all right," Orion said. "They're here to pick us up."

Bryce slowly lowered his gun, confusion written on his face. "What do you mean?"

"This is the place we were supposed to meet our contact. They're clean."

Bryce confusion quickly turned to anger. "Is there anything else you didn't tell me?" he asked, the bitterness clear in his voice.

"I've told you everything you need to know. This? You didn't need to know. Now, go get the girl, and let's continue our mission, yeah?"

Bryce stormed off wordlessly. He might miss Jill when this was all over, but he'd be happy to see the cryptic old man go. True, he'd basically saved Bryce's and Jill's lives more than a couple of times over the past months, but he also made Bryce feel out of control. Bryce hated not being in control.

Luckily, that would all end tomorrow.

* * *

_A/N: So I don't have enough of the next chapter written to give a proper preview, unfortunately. But I can give you some things to look forward to. Lots of people return, including a certain brunette, and I'm not talking about Jill, though her name DOES start with a "J". Lots of people talk about issues that have been lying dormant. And, for the first time, College Years Sarah will start to display some tendencies that are much more known in another version of Sarah that I often write. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. I look forward to your feed back, and you guys are awesome. Peace. _


	24. Return of the Jill

_A/N: First things first. I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out. In all honesty, I probably could've had it out last week, or maybe even the week before, but I didn't know when I'd have chapter 24 done, and I wanted something to publish on this date, so I held off on updating. This day? Why this day, you say? Well, it was exactly 365 days ago today, one year, that Chuck the College Years was first published. That probably doesn't mean a lot to some of you, but it's a pretty momentous occasion for me. It also says to me that I should've had this story done a long time ago, haha. But for whatever reason, I don't, and I'm still working on it. We ARE winding down, getting towards the end. This is kind of a setup chapter that sets into motion one of the final arcs. It's not as long as some, but like I said, it's a transitional chapter, and I don't like to get too wordy with those. They tend to get boring. So it is what it is. Oh, and what it is also shakes up the relationship dynamic once again, but you probably guessed that would happen when Jill said she was coming back. Thanks to __**MXPW**__ for his help on this chapter, and his help throughout the story. Never would've made it this far without you, dude. Anyway, enough with all the yammering on. Now to the story. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!

* * *

_

**Chapter 23: Return of the Jill**

**March 29, 2003  
Palo Alto, California**

"Chuck," Sarah called. "Chuck, wake up," she said, now standing right next to their bed.

Chuck groaned and groggily opened his eyes, straining his neck to look over at the bedside clock.

"It's only seven," he said. "I don't have classes for four more hours. Why did you wake me up?" Then looking at her: "And why are you already dressed? Come back to bed."

Chuck wrapped his arms around Sarah's waist, and pulled her to him. She laughed, and fought to extricate herself from his grasp.

"Up and at 'em, morons," came a gruff shout from the hallway.

Casey peeked into the bedroom, only to find the other two members of his team on the bed, wrestling playfully.

"Oh, Christ," the veteran agent said, a look of sheer disgust on his face. "Put up a sign or something next time, Walker."

"It's _our_ bedroom, Casey," Sarah shot back.

"Whatever," Casey said. "In case you've forgotten, the bosses want to speak with us. You two can fornicate all you want, later."

"Oh yeah, that's what I came in here to tell you," Sarah said, turning to Chuck. "Briefing in five."

Chuck was on his second cup of coffee when the uplink to Washington came online, but even fully dressed, he still looked dead to the world. Sarah and Casey on the other hand were wide awake.

"Agent Walker, Captain Casey, Mr. Bartowski, we've had a break in this whole Fulcrum situation," Beckman said.

And with that, Chuck was fully awake.

"Three assets with information on this threat have come forward," Graham added.

"Do we know how much they know about us?" Sarah asked.

"They know everything," Beckman said simply.

"Everything?" Casey asked.

"They know more about certain parts of this team than even we know," Graham said. "It's Bryce Larkin, Jill Roberts, and a third party that has requested to stay anonymous for the time being."

"Shit!" Sarah swore.

"What's that Agent Walker?" Beckman asked.

"Nothing, ma'am," Sarah said meekly.

"Good," Graham said. "For the time being, Larkin and Roberts could be the key to taking down Fulcrum. For the time being, they'll be joining your team, and you're to allow them to assist you in any way possible."

"I'm sorry, Director," Sarah said, nearly choking on her coffee she'd been casually sipping. "Can you repeat the last?"

She had been upset enough to know that Jill was still around. But she'd have to team up with Bryce and Jill? No, that couldn't be right.

Graham looked annoyed, but he did repeat himself. "Agent Bryce Larkin discovered this threat back in October. He used Ms. Roberts to gain a foothold into the Fulcrum ranks, as apparently she had family involved in the organization."

"No, I got that part," Sarah said. "What was the last part again?"

"Larkin and Roberts are ready to come in from the cold, as they have information that could help us strike a major blow against Fulcrum. For the time being, they'll be joining your team. You are to protect them with the same urgency you show to the Intersect," Graham said.

So Sarah had heard right. Shit! Jill was coming back, and with Bryce no less. Just when things were getting good between her and Chuck, Chuck's ex would be coming back into the picture. And no doubt, Jill would uncover some half-truths and flat out lies Sarah had told Chuck.

Sarah didn't know what to do. Should she come clean to Chuck about everything? Leave no stone unturned? Or should she continue her lies and hope Chuck would believe her over Jill? Or would Jill even bother to uncover those lies? Maybe Sarah didn't have anything to worry about. Somehow, she doubted that was the case.

She decided her best action at the moment was inaction. She'd take a wait and see approach, and allow things to develop before she tried to fix them. After all, there was no use getting Chuck upset for nothing. There was no use freaking out about the inevitable. She had to focus on the things she could control. Like maybe keeping Chuck too occupied to have any conversation with Jill.

* * *

**March 30, 2003  
Palo Alto, California**

Keeping Chuck and Jill apart had been easier than Sarah anticipated. Bryce and Jill arrived, and there was another briefing to acclimate the two new members to the team. Bryce and Jill shared what they knew of Fulcrum—that Fulcrum was a group that splintered from the CIA during the latter days of Intersect development, and that they knew Chuck had something to do with the project.

After the briefing, Jill tried to talk to Chuck, but he dismissed her right away, saying he had to get back to class. That made Sarah happy. If Chuck refused to talk to Jill in a non-professional manner, it would give her more time to come clean to him about the truth. And Chuck would certainly look more favorably on her if she was the one to admit to her lie, instead of him finding out through other means, namely Jill.

But the fact that Chuck decided not to talk to Jill didn't mean Jill couldn't confront Sarah. And she did. The morning after they'd arrived, after Chuck left for class.

"We need to talk," Jill said bursting through the door to Sarah's apartment.

Sarah, who had been enjoying a late breakfast, jumped at the sudden intrusion.

"Don't you knock?" Sarah asked, irritated as she set her cereal aside.

"I don't think I need to knock," Jill answered. "I now work for the government, and the government pays for this apartment. Therefore this is pretty much my 'office'."

"This is my _private_ residence," Sarah growled. "You still have to knock."

"Do you pay for it?" Jill asked.

"Well, no, but—"

"So if you don't pay for it, then it's not yours. In fact, if it belongs to anyone, it belongs to Chuck, and he's not here right now," Jill said, sounding satisfied that she'd won the argument. Then she softened just a bit. "But I'll try to knock in the future. Wouldn't want to catch you walking around naked or anything."

Sarah saw an opening to rub a little bit of salt in Jill's wound. To bait her just a bit. "Oh, don't worry. I'm usually only naked when Chuck's here." Sarah mentally chalked a point to herself for that one. She smirked accordingly.

The bitter look on Jill's face was the reward Sarah was hoping for, and she got that. And more.

"So you and Chuck are—"

"Oh, we're very much together. In every way you can imagine," Sarah gloated. She loved getting at this other woman. This woman that had treated Chuck so poorly the first time Sarah met them. This woman that had served as a roadblock to Sarah getting what she wanted—Chuck—for their first four months working together.

"Well I should've guessed that," Jill said, sadly. "I mean, you put a guy who's been done wrong in the same living space as a professionally trained slut, it's bound to happen."

"I'm not a slut," Sarah shot back. "Chuck knows that. In fact, out of the two of us, he'd probably say that _you_ are by far the sluttiest."

It was a risk, Sarah knew, to let Jill know what Sarah had said to get Chuck away from her. But Sarah wasn't thinking clearly. Not really. She just wanted to hurt Jill as much as possible, consequences be damned.

"What the hell are you on about?" Jill asked, annoyed. "I'm not a slut. I've known Chuck for over three years. Two of those years we've been dating, and I've never cheated on him in all that time."

"That's not what he thinks," Sarah said. Damn, she even had a chance to cover her lie in front of Jill, but her cattiness was coming out, and she couldn't stop it.

What she wasn't planning on was the door being open as they had the conversation. What she wasn't planning on was having Chuck standing there, hearing every word she said. So when a third voice entered the conversation, Chuck's voice, Sarah was startled. And panicked.

"I left my notebook," Chuck said from the doorway absently.

"Chuck!" Sarah shouted. She could hardly breathe. She could hardly think. What should she say? "How much of that did you hear?" Probably not the best thing to say when your boyfriend just discovered you'd been lying to him since the beginning of your relationship.

"I heard enough," Chuck said.

Both Jill and Sarah crossed the room at once, trying to gain Chuck's attention. Both women were speaking fast, and their voices overlapped one another, making it impossible for anyone to decipher what they were saying.

"Jill," Chuck said, cutting them off. "Can you give me a few minutes? Sarah and I have some things we need to discuss."

"Sure, Chuck," Jill said. Sarah wanted to slap that smug grin the brunette was now sporting right off her face. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

Once Jill was gone, and the door was shut, Chuck began in on her.

"So Jill wasn't actually…"

"No," Sarah said simply, answering Chuck unfinished question. "She wasn't. It was just something I told you when we met."

"And all this time, you never told me the truth?"

"I'm sorry Chuck. I was going to tell you," Sarah said. "Really."

"Well why didn't you?" Chuck asked.

"Well, you know how time flies, and before I knew it, it was yesterday, and Jill was _back_, and you found out on your own, so really, I guess I just ran out of time."

"We've known each other for almost six months!" Chuck exclaimed.

"That's true," Sarah said, searching her mind for something, anything to say. "But, as you know, at first, I was doing my job in getting you to leave Jill behind."

She hoped that would be sufficient. After all, Chuck couldn't argue with her doing her job. He could be upset, but he couldn't be upset with _her_, and that's all Sarah really cared about.

"But that leaves the rest of the five and a half months you've been in my life you could've told me."

Dammit. Sarah really thought that might work.

"Well," she drawled. "It's not that I didn't _want_ to tell you, I was just trying to put off telling you until I absolutely had to."

"And?"

"And I was successful," Sarah said, shrugging.

"Seriously?" Chuck asked indignantly. "I give you a chance to explain yourself, and that's what you come up with?"

"What do you want me to say Chuck?" Sarah said. "I lied to you. I intentionally broke up your relationship with Jill so I could recruit you into the CIA. I didn't feel bad about it, because even if she wasn't sleeping with Bryce, she was treating you horribly. And I liked you, right from the start, and I didn't want to see her hurt you anymore."

"And that explains why you told me what you did, once again," Chuck said. His anger didn't seem to be waning at all. "But you still haven't given me any reason why you wouldn't be honest with my later on. We've been dating, for real, for almost two months. I thought we could trust each other."

"You can trust me Chuck," Sarah pleaded. "You can always trust me. And I'm sorry I lied, but—"

"No buts, Sarah," Chuck said. "Just leave it at you're sorry. It's a good start. But I still don't understand why."

"Because I'm crazy about you, dumbass," Sarah spat. She didn't know where the anger was coming from, but it just felt right. Chuck had backed her into a corner, and she was going to try to fight her way out. "I couldn't tell you, because I knew if I did, you would get mad at me, and there would be no chance for _us_."

Chuck seemed to process Sarah's words for a moment. "I understand why you did what you did," he finally said.

"You do?" Sarah asked, shocked.

"I do. But I need some time to think about this, okay?"

"I can give you time," Sarah said. "And if you want to talk about it more—"

"I do need to talk about it," Chuck said. "I need to talk to Jill."

"No!" Sarah blurted out. She couldn't let him talk to Jill. Jill would poison his mind, and he'd come back and breakup with her. Sarah knew she couldn't handle that. "Talk with me about it. I'm your girlfriend."

"You are," Chuck said. "But technically, I guess Jill still is, too."

Sarah deflated. How could she answer that? He was right. He'd never actually broken up with Jill. Jill had never actually been unfaithful. Chuck had every right to want to talk to Jill. Perfect Jill, who had somehow been out saving the world from Fulcrum while Sarah had been stuck in Palo Alto. Perfect Jill who would no doubt get the guy, leaving Sarah alone and forgotten.

The only thing she had left to fall back on were the feelings Chuck had for her. The feelings she hoped he still had, after finding out that their entire relationship was built on a lie.

"Please Chuck," Sarah begged. "Please don't go to Jill. I just want to make this all okay. I want—I want—"

She didn't want to cry. Wouldn't, couldn't cry. But she could barely hold it back now. She was being left again. Just like her father left her. Only this time, it was all her fault. She blamed herself when her dad left, true, but over time, she came to realize that his being caught, and the things he put her through were _his_ shortcomings, not hers. But this time, she couldn't blame anyone else. She couldn't blame Chuck. She only hoped he'd give her just this one.

"Sarah," Chuck said, sighing. "It's not—I'm not saying that we can't, you know, that we can't be—"

"Just say you'll stay with me, okay?" Sarah asked. She didn't need much. She just needed some sign that he wasn't going to break her heart.

"I don't—"

"Please Chuck," Sarah said again. "I love you."

It was the first time she said it. First time either of them had said it. And from the look on Chuck's face, he was just as shocked to hear it as Sarah was that she'd said it.

"I, Sarah, I don't, it's not that—"

Sarah was silently pleading with Chuck to say it back. Or for some way to take it back, to have not said it.

"I have to go talk to Jill," Chuck said once more.

"Fine," Sarah said, sadly. She'd finally given up. "You go talk to Jill. I'll start packing my things."

And with that, Sarah went to their bedroom where no one could see her tears.

* * *

_A/N: Yeah, I know. It seems like unnecessary angst, but I promise, it's not. This is what I've meant in the past when I've said that there are still things between Chuck and Sarah that need to come to the surface before they can have a healthy relationship. Also, I will urge you to read into what Chuck said, and not Sarah's reactions to what he was saying. Sarah, this Sarah anyway, is extremely insecure, and just waiting for something bad to happen between her and Chuck. It's not her fault really, but her history isn't the best. But I can't really say any more without giving things away. _

_What do you have to look forward to next time? How about Jill and Sarah, one-on-one for the man they both desire? How about some dark Jill secrets coming to light? How about a singing kangaroo? Okay, the last one is not true at all, but the rest of them are. _

_Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you enjoyed it, and I can't wait to hear your feedback. You guys are awesome. Peace. _


	25. The Day No One Expected to Ever Happen

_A/N: Hello loyal readers. Miss me? Okay, I know I haven't been off the face of the Earth. In fact, I've recently finished two other previously incomplete stories. And at long last, I've decided it's time for my version of our beloved characters navigating the waters of love, classes, and of course spy work should finally have its ending._

_A couple of quick things: First of all, before I began writing the conclusion, I had to go back and read the story from the start. The notes and writing I had done for this fic are on a hard drive in a computer that was three computers ago for me, somewhere in South Carolina, so needless to say, they did me little good. So the finish will be coming from scratch. And that's a good thing, I think. In my rereading, I discovered how dreadful my writing was when this story first began. I'm almost embarrassed that it's still out there! That's not to say that I'm some super-fantastic writer now, but as compared to where I was, I think I've grown by leaps and bounds. So this new ending, in my opinion, will be much better written, and thusly more satisfying than anything I could've given you three years ago._

_And finally, before I finish, I must say one more thing. Over the three years that I've worked on this story (or one year, then two years off, then however long it takes to complete it now), I've worked with so many fantastic people in support. Some of them are no longer a part of our community (**S93Starbuck, Yok**), and some of them have taken on different roles in the community (**mxpw**), and they were all great. For this chapter, and hopefully for all the succeeding chapters, I will have to thank my new beta, **Michael66**. You edits and insight are invaluable, and you are very much appreciated, dude._

_Oh, and also, I know nothing about the Stanford campus. So if it sounds like it was written by someone who knows nothing about the Stanford campus, then... well, that's about right._

_So on with the story!_

* * *

******Chapter 24: The Day No One Expected to Ever Happen**  


**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment  
****March 30, 2003  
****11:50 AM PST**

Chuck closed the apartment door behind him before leaning back against it, his head thumping off the hard wood. He closed his eyes, slipped his hands into his pockets and tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

Having his world turned completely on its head had become almost a daily occurrence since Sarah Walker came into his life.

First, she revealed to him that his girlfriend was not only cheating on him with his best friend, but that both Bryce and Jill were traitors. Then she convinced him that he couldn't trust anyone, which went against every instinct he had. Somewhere along the line, she apparently developed feelings for him, which took a long time for him to believe. But nonetheless, she started throwing herself at him almost daily. There was that period after her Red Test, when she completely shut him off, and made him think she didn't have real feelings for him after all. And finally, she opened up to him; let him see the real girl that she tried to hide away from the world. And he fell for that girl. Hard.

And for just a little while, Chuck was convinced that his life was starting to make sense again. And then Jill came back into town.

He wasn't upset that Sarah lied to him. Well, he was, but that wasn't what had his head all screwed up. It was that she'd done it so easily, and for so long.

It was that, when the truth came out, Sarah didn't seem even the least bit apologetic for lying. She only seemed concerned by the fact that she got caught in her lie.

And then there was Jill. Jill, who he had dated for almost two years. Jill who he kissed for the first time at the top of a Ferris wheel. Jill who was his first love.

He'd been ready to completely put Jill Roberts out of his head, and move on with Sarah, and up until an hour ago, that had still been the plan.

But if Jill never cheated on him, then the only thing he could hold against her was that she never told him about her affiliations with Fulcrum. She'd had a secret.

Sarah had a lot of secrets, and as it turned out, some of those secrets directly involved him, and she'd lied to him about them.

If he held Jill accountable for her "sins," and Sarah's were even worse, how was he supposed to handle the situation?

He banged his head against the door again. And again. Still, no answers came to him. Instead, he just had the beginnings of a headache..

"Um, Chuck?"

Chuck nearly jumped out of his skin. His arms flailed about, and his messenger bag, which was flung over his shoulder, slipped and nearly choked him to death.

When he got his wits about him, he realized it was Jill's voice. It was Jill's _concerned_ voice. He hadn't heard concern from her in so long, he almost didn't recognize it.

"I, um, I waited out here, like we said," Jill said.

"Right," Chuck said, pushing himself away from the door. "Look, Jill—"

"We shouldn't talk about this in the hallway," Jill said. "Let's go get an early lunch."

"I have class," Chuck said, hoping that would dissuade Jill. He needed to talk to her about a great many things, but he just wasn't ready yet.

She cocked her head to the side and gave him a look that clearly said 'are you kidding me?'

"What, I do!" Chuck said. "I have a 1:15 in the—"

"Chuck," Jill said, drawing out the 'u' in his name just a little. "How many times have you blown off class for me? It's not like this would be a first."

That was true. When they were dating—well, there had been no break up, so technically, Chuck reasoned, they were still dating—but before Jill left, he would gladly miss a class to spend time with her. His excuse seemed lame at best, and he supposed he did owe her that conversation. Whether he was ready or not.

"Okay," Chuck said. "I guess I can do a quick lunch, but then—"

Jill smiled and nodded. Without saying a word, she turned and started walking down the hall. Chuck adjusted his messenger bag and followed her.

Their positions—Jill with her back to him, and Chuck following behind like a disregarded puppy—brought up a sense of eerie familiarity. In a way, it had been their arrangement from the very beginning. Jill always led, and Chuck was always right on her heels, waiting for instruction.

Morgan spotted that behavior in him the first time he met Jill. Chuck had shrugged it off as Morgan being jealous of any new people coming into Chuck's life.

Then Ellie pointed it out to him, too. But Ellie had always been overprotective of him. Especially when it came to girls. So again, Chuck had ignored the warnings from those closest to him.

But now that Jill was back, Chuck could see that behavior in himself.

Jill came back, and suddenly he was her puppet again. He'd even taken Jill's side against Sarah, the girl he'd been dating, and the girl he'd come to love in Jill's absence. It wasn't his intention to take sides, but when he really thought about what he'd said, what he'd done, it had to appear to Sarah that he believed Jill instead of her. Maybe that he loved Jill more than he loved her. Which he didn't. He loved both of them, but Sarah had never left him, so—

"Oh God," Chuck whispered to himself. "Sarah said she was leaving, and I just walked out."

"What's that?" Jill said, turning her head, but not breaking her stride.

"I said, um, Sarah—"

"Oh," Jill said, disinterested. "So, Olives?"

"I—" Chuck stopped himself this time, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yeah, Olives will be fine."

* * *

**Olives at Building 160  
****March 30, 2003  
****12:30 PST**

Chuck silently watched as Jill poked and picked at her salad. Chuck knew it wasn't that she wasn't hungry, or that she was trying to avoid conversation,. That was just the way she ate. She liked to get the parts of the salad she liked the least first, and work up to her favorite bits.

On the other hand, Chuck was staring blankly at his barely touched gyro not because of some strange table manners, but because he was indescribably uncomfortable.

Having a painfully quiet lunch with his ex, but not really ex-girlfriend, while his current, and possibly soon-to-be ex-girlfriend, may or may not be moving out of his apartment had to rank as one of the top 5 most awkward experiences of his life, and Chuck couldn't take it anymore.

"So we're at lunch now…"

Jill looked up from her salad and put her fork down before taking a long pull off her glass of water, and dabbed at her lips with her napkin.

She heaved a deep sigh, and placed her hands on the table, leaning forward and focusing her eyes on Chuck.

"We haven't really talked since I got back," she said. She paused, and her eyes fell to the table. "Or longer. I haven't exactly been emotionally available to you over the past year."

"Yeah," Chuck said. It was all he could manage.

"I'm sorry about that," Jill said. "I know 'sorry' doesn't make it go away, and doesn't make it all better, but it's true."

Chuck didn't say anything, and a lull developed between them.

"So I thought you'd have some questions. And you deserve to have them answered, so whatever you want to know, just ask. Nothing's off the table."

Chuck thought about her offer. Honesty sounded good. Damn good. No one had been honest with him lately, it seemed. And there was one thing he wanted a definitive answer on.

"I know it kind of came up earlier, with Sarah, but did you sleep with Bryce?"

"No," Jill says. "Absolutely not."

"Huh," Chuck said.

Jill sighed again. "Okay, I'm being honest now, so here's the thing."

Chuck cringed. He didn't want to hear 'the thing.' 'The thing' always seemed to turn out bad in talks like the one he was having with Jill.

"We kissed," Jill said. "Once. A few months ago. But that's it, and it was after—well, it doesn't matter. It was a huge, drunken mistake, and I'm sorry."

"You and Bryce got drunk while you were working for the CIA?" Chuck asked.

"Well, we weren't working—but we weren't working against—it's very complicated, but the basic point is, there were a lot of times where we had nothing to do. We mostly just sat around one safe house or another and—by the way, Bryce? I don't see how you lived with him for three years."

"He can be a little anal," Chuck said. "Did he make you let him check the bottom of your shoes before you walked in the door?"

"No," Jill said. "But it wouldn't have shocked me."

"So why'd you kiss him?"

Jill released Chuck's hand and picked her fork up. She shoved a large bite of her salad into her mouth, and looked down at the table as she chewed.

"Jill?"

After several moments, she swallowed the food in her mouth, and but she still wasn't looking at Chuck when she answered.

"It's not important," she said.

"It's important to me," Chuck said.

Jill sighed. She reached out and took Chuck's hand. To his own surprise, Chuck let her.

"So I'm not sure how much you and the team knows, but basically, we've been watching you for months now," Jill said. "We weren't always nearby, but we always monitored what was going on."

"Right," Chuck said. He didn't know all of that, but he kind of had an idea where it was going. And that did nothing to make him more comfortable.

"Anyway, guess who was on surveillance duty on Valentine's Day?"

Chuck's eyes bulged, and he suddenly felt like he was going to choke on his tongue. Valentine's was when he and Sarah first—and if Jill was listening, she had to hear—

"Oh," Chuck said, coughing. He grabbed the half full cola drink in front of him, and turned it up, draining every last ounce. "So you heard—"

"Yeah," Jill said, nodding. "So after that, I kind of needed a drink. So I got one. Then two, then three—"

"I get the point," Chuck said.

"When Bryce woke up, I was sitting on the sofa crying. I think he said something snarky, I don't know, I wasn't really listening. But then I told him what happened, and he hugged me, which was nice. I needed a hug."

"Of course," Chuck said. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jill cried over him? The same Jill who had treated him like more of a nuisance—or at best an obligation for over a year—actually shed a tear because he was with another girl?

"And it was stupid, but I really wanted to do something stupid at the time, so I kissed him. _I_ kissed _him_," she said. "I'm sure if you hear the story from him, he'll make sure to emphasize that. He sure as hell did to me the next day, so I'll save him the time."

"It didn't go any further?" Chuck asked.

"No," Jill said. "I—maybe it would have, I don't know, but then the door opened, and—"

"And what?"

"Okay, that's the one part I really can't tell you about," Jill said. "But the point is, Bryce and I were not alone and the other guy came in, and we stopped."

"Why can't you tell me?" Chuck asked.

"Please Chuck," Jill said. "Please just don't ask me about that. I _can't_ tell you. And it's not my secret to tell anyway. But you'll find out in time, I promise. And if the time comes, and you don't find out, I'll tell you then, but they made me promise not to say anything."

Chuck sighed. "Fine," he said.

Another silence fell over the table. Chuck was a little angry that Jill wouldn't tell him that last bit of information, but on the whole, she had been really honest with him. At least, as best he could tell. And he _had_ missed just talking to her. Even before they were dating, they were great friends.

"Just so you know," Jill said, her eyes falling back toward her picked over salad, "I forgive you."

Chuck stared at her blankly. "Thank you?" he said. "Um, Jill, what am I supposed to be sorry about?"

Jill put her fork down and looked at Chuck incredulously.

"Um, hello?"

"Hi," Chuck said.

"Chuck," Jill said, "you've been sleeping with another woman. _Living _with another woman. You and I never broke up. We were still together, but you were—"

Jill stopped herself, took another sip of her water, and refocused on Chuck. She reached across the table and took his hand in hers again.

"But it doesn't matter. The point is, I forgive you."

Chuck's confusion was rapidly becoming irritation, bordering on anger.

"You—I don't need your forgiveness, Jill," he said, pulling his hand away from her. "You left. _You _left _me_. And as far as I knew, you were gone forever, so yeah, I moved on with my life. And anyway, you kissed Bryce! That's even worse!"

"How is that worse?" Jill asked.

"I don't know, but it's the same!"

"That happened one time. _One_ time. How many times did you sleep with _her_?" Jill asked.

"I can't believe—wait, you know what? I can believe it. You were horrible to me for like a year, then we go away together, and I walk in while you and Bryce are trying to kill Sarah, so yeah, I guess you giving me crap for something that had nothing to do with you is kind of what I should expect, I guess," Chuck said.

Jill fell silent and began picking at her salad again.

"You aren't even going to say anything?" Chuck asked.

"What do you want me to say?" Jill asked. "I've told you I was sorry for how I acted. I told you I was sorry for leaving. And I am. Sorry for both of those things."

"You were going kill Sarah. In cold blood. And you're fine with that?"

"Okay, maybe we didn't handle that situation that well, but your—the other guy I told you about, he told us we had to get her away from you, so we just did what we thought was best. We were trying to help you," Jill said.

"By murdering someone for just doing her job?"

"I said we didn't handle it well," Jill said defensively.

"Yeah, well, I don't know if I can forgive that," Chuck said.

"She's dangerous, Chuck," Jill said. "Do you know how many people she's killed?"

"Five," Chuck said. "All since I've known her. And other than the first one—which nearly destroyed her, by the way—but other than that, every one of those people would've killed her if she didn't act first."

"Yeah, well," Jill said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, she's been trained to kill more people than that."

"What's your point?" Chuck asked. "I mean, am I happy that my girlfriend kills people? No, I'm not. But—"

"You think of her as your girlfriend?"

"I—well, I guess I do," Chuck said.

"And how do you think of me? An ex?"

"I don't know," Chuck said. "It's all so, I don't know." He paused. "But Sarah _is_ my girlfriend. And I do care about her. And she cares about me."

Suddenly something occurred to Chuck. He _did _care about Sarah. A lot. And still, he'd walked out on her. On Sarah. Someone who didn't trust people easily. He'd walked out and gave her no reason to believe he wasn't walking out for good. She had to be crushed. And she'd said she was packing up her stuff. Was she really leaving? Chuck couldn't believe he'd been so stupid!

"I have to go," Chuck said, abruptly standing up and throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"Chuck, wait."

He didn't listen. He had to get back to the apartment before Sarah left. He couldn't let her think he was abandoning her. He knew all about being left behind, after what he went through with his parents. And he didn't know Sarah's whole story. As much as she cared about him, she was still reluctant to share details of her past, and he could tell she probably had a lot of the same issues he had. Just the way she always clung to him seemed to indicate that. And if he hurt her in that way, he'd never forgive himself.

Chuck didn't like being rude. In fact, he ordinarily went out of his way to be courteous to those around him. But he was in a rush to get back to Sarah, and it seemed like everyone in the Bay Area was walking slowly, or standing in his path.

He brushed by several people, almost knocked over a few more, and nearly elbowed someone in the face when the grabbed his elbow.

He took a deep breath. That was over the line. He needed to apologize for—

It was Jill.

"Jill, I told you I have to get back to—"

"Yeah, I know, back to Sarah, but there's something you should know first," Jill said.

Chuck sighed and checked his watch. "Okay, fine, but please Jill, I really don't want Sarah to think—"

"The other guy who was with Bryce and me was your father."

Chuck forgot all about getting back to Sarah for the moment. "I'm sorry, _what_?"

"You father contacted Bryce when we were in Mexico. He told us—told Bryce to save you from the CIA, and then Bryce told me, so that's what we were doing," Jill said.

"My dad?" Chuck asked.

"Um, yeah. But, God, I'm going to get into so much trouble for telling you. They told me I couldn't. Your dad told me I couldn't tell you, but you deserve to know."

"You were working with my dad all this time?" Chuck asked.

He was still in shock. He couldn't fathom what he was hearing. His crazy dad was somehow mixed up with spies. And had contacted his friends to 'save' him from Sarah? It all seemed like too much.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Jill said.

"Um, yeah, ya think?" Chuck asked.

"But it's true. In fact," Jill looked around, checking over her shoulder for something. "In fact, I can take you to him."

"You can—but why?"

Jill smiled. "I told you, you deserve to know. You deserve to see him."

"But I thought you said you'd get in trouble?"

"Well," Jill said, "maybe I don't care so much about that. Maybe I care more about doing something for my boyfriend."

"But—"

"There's no time for 'buts' Chuck. If we're going, we have to go now."

"I, um—"

Jill stood on her tip-toes, and pulled Chuck's face ever so close to hers. She leaned in close to him, and he could feel her warm breath tickling his ear.

"I have a car parked just down the block," she whispered. "Take off your watch, and dump it."

She didn't allow for any more of Chuck's protests. She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her.

* * *

_A/N: Seriously Wep? Another cliffhanger? Are you just going to leave us there for two years again? The answer, is no. In fact, chapter 25 is already done, and as I type this, I'm about to send it off to beta. And chapter 26 is in the works. Don't believe me? Well here's a little something from the upcoming chapter to whet your appetite: _

"What's wrong with you?" Casey asked as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. "You look like someone ran over your dog."

"Go to hell, Casey," Sarah said.

"And what's with the bag?" he asked. "You going somewhere?"

"If you must know, Chuck and I had a fight, and I told him I was moving out."

_See, so there is more to come. And I look forward to bringing it to you. You guys are awesome. Peace._


	26. Sarah's Lament

_A/N: So, yeah, this has been sitting around, waiting to be posted for some time now. Sorry about that. Why post now, you ask? Well because it's **catrogue's **birthday, of course. This is the first of (hopefully) three updates you'll see from me today. Hope you enjoy, and happy birthday, Cat!_

* * *

**Chapter 25: Sarah's Lament**

**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment**

**March 30, 2003**

**2:45 PM PST**

Sarah sat slumped on Chuck's couch with a lone suitcase at her feet. Packing all of her stuff had been startlingly easy, and had taken far less time than she'd imagined. The apartment had been her home for months—a home unlike she'd had since she left her Grandma's house when she was ten—so it was a little disappointing to realize that all of her things still fit into one bag.

She heard the apartment door open, and she turned her head to see who it was. She hoped it was Chuck. She'd been planning a dramatic exit for hours in hopes that he would ask her to stay, but as more time went on, she started to lose her nerve.

But it wasn't Chuck.

"What's wrong with you?" Casey asked as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. "You look like someone ran over your dog."

"Go to hell, Casey," Sarah said.

"And what's with the bag?" he asked. "You going somewhere?"

"If you must know, Chuck and I had a fight, and I told him I was moving out."

Casey grunted. "So that's all your stuff?"

Sarah felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment. "No," she said. "There's also this." She held up a loaf of rye bread she'd bought the last time she went for groceries that sat beside her on the couch.

Casey grumbled something Sarah couldn't quite understand as he walked over to the refrigerator and helped himself to a bottle over water. He twisted off the cap and took a long pull before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You do realize you can't actually move out, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Sarah said. After all, she had orders, and her orders were to stay with Chuck, which meant she couldn't leave the apartment. That didn't mean she couldn't make a scene like she was going to.

"And do you really think the best way to make sure the idiot stays in your bed every night, and doesn't go wandering to an old flame is to act like you're leaving him? Did you even read his file, with all the shit with his parents? A first year psyche student would identify the abandonment issues in under a second," Casey said.

"Relationship advice?" Sarah asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Really?"

Casey shrugged. "So you think I'm wrong?"

Sarah fell silent for a moment. Then shook her head. "No, you're right," she said—an admission that hurt more than the truth itself.

"So go put your sad little loaf of bread back in the kitchen, and unpack your suitcase before the geek comes back here and I have to hear three hours of lady feelings."

Sarah groaned. She knew he was right, but it didn't make facing that reality any easier. Still, she walked over to the kitchen and put her rye loaf back on the counter.

"When's the last time you talked to the moron, anyway?"

Ordinarily, she would've defended Chuck from Casey's insults, even when Chuck wasn't around. But at that moment, she wasn't in the mood to say anything positive about her stupid boyfriend.

Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. A few hours ago?"

"Hmm," Casey said. "He tell you why he was skipping his 1:15 class?"

"No," Sarah said as she walked back over to get her suitcase. Bile rose in her throat as she considered the likely reason he'd skip a class. "He's probably with the skank."

"Who, Roberts?"

"Do you know any other skanks?" Sarah asked.

"I think that's how you referred to that Jenny girl, too," Casey said.

Sarah nodded, knowingly. "That's true. Jenny _is_ a skank. But Chuck doesn't hang out with her anymore."

"Why?" Casey asked.

"Umm, I asked him not to," Sarah said, pulling her rolling suitcase toward the bedroom she shared with Chuck. "I told him I wasn't comfortable with him spending time with her."

"Ya don't say," Casey said gruffly. "You were honest, and the geek listened?"

"You have a point, Casey?" Sarah asked, dropping the handle of her bag and whipping around to give her partner a pointed glare.

"Just an observation," Casey said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

Sarah walked into the bedroom to put her things away. She didn't have much. Most of her clothes were provided by the CIA, and to prevent clutter—and because she just enjoyed having new clothes whenever she wanted—she would only have two or three day's worth at any given time. In fact, three of the six shirts she had in her bag were actually Chuck's that he'd lent her to sleep in.

"Huh, that's weird," Sarah heard Casey say from the living room.

"What's that?" she asked, poking her head out the door.

"Bartowski's been in the same spot for a couple hours now. Right near the quad."

"And Jill?" Sarah asked.

"According to her tracker, she's just down the hall with Larkin," Casey said.

"That _is_ weird," Sarah said, abandoning her unpacking to rejoin Casey, and to look at the trackers—which showed on the screen of a specially made PDA Casey carried with him—for herself.

"Maybe we should go ask Bryce and Jill if they've heard from Chuck," Sarah said.

* * *

**Bryce and Jill's Apartment**

**March 30, 2003**

**3:00 PM PST**

Sarah knocked for a fifth time, but still, there was no answer.

"Bryce?" she called. "Jill? I know you two are in there!"

Still nothing.

"Okay Casey, kick the door down," Sarah said.

"What? Why don't you kick it down?" her partner asked.

"You're much bigger than me."

"And I've seen you kick a man hard enough to crush his ribs," Casey said.

"Doesn't mean I should be the one to kick it down," Sarah said.

"Means you _could_ be," Casey replied.

"Fine," Sarah said. "I don't want to scuff my boots on the door. Now would you just kick the door down? They could be in trouble," Sarah said.

"Or they could be doing what you and Bartowski are doing when you don't answer the door."

Initially, Sarah was disgusted by that idea. She didn't want to think about Bryce and Jill all naked and sweaty and rolling around with one another. But then she realized what that would mean, and she smiled.

"Well, that would make me a prophet instead of a liar, so I'm okay with that," she said. "So would you _please_ just kick the door down so we can get inside?"

"Fine," Casey grumbled.

He took a step back and swung his leg forward, impacting the door just below the handle. The wood splintered under his kick, and the door swung open to an apartment that was just as quiet on the inside as it had been on the outside.

"Bryce?" Sarah called again.

There didn't seem to be any sign of foul play. Or at least there didn't seem as if there'd been a struggle, as the apartment seemed to be in perfect order. The only sign that anyone had even been there were two mugs sitting out on the kitchen table.

Drawing her sidearm, she slowly made her way through the apartment. It wasn't until she was just outside the bedroom that she finally heard a noise. It was muffled, but she could clearly make out the sound of someone tossing about, and a low moan.

With a look of disgust on her face, Sarah steeled herself against what she was afraid she'd see and used her shoulder to push the door ajar.

She stepped into the open doorframe, her pistol at the ready.

But there were no enemy agents inside. Nor was she subjected to a live sex show from Bryce and Jill. Unless they were both far kinkier than she'd imagined.

Bryce was on the floor, fully clothed. His arms were tied behind his back, and his feet were bound together. A rubber ball-gag was in his mouth and he was writhing about.

Sarah cursed technology—or the lack thereof—for not providing her an adequate and reliable camera on her cell phone. She would've paid good money to have the image in front of her saved for all eternity. Plus Chuck would probably _love _to see it.

Right, Chuck.

"Bryce, where's Chuck?" Sarah asked, lowering her gun.

Bryce thrashed around some more, and mumbled something that was impossible to make out—but that sounded quite indignant— over the gag in his mouth.

Sarah sighed and bent down to remove the implement blocking Bryce's words.

He took in a deep breath when the gag was removed.

"Jill," Bryce gasped out. "She drugged me, and tied me up, and then—"

"Wait, she drugged you?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Bryce answered. "She made us both tea and—"

Casey snorted. "You were having tea?"

"Yes, Agent Casey, I enjoy a nice cup of tea," Bryce said. Casey grunted another laugh. "Anyway, so I took a few sips, and I started to feel dizzy. I thought maybe it was just too hot or something at first. But then I noticed Jill was watching me in a weird way, and I started to get suspicious."

"You drank something you didn't make yourself that was given to you by a known accomplice of Fulcrum and you got light in the head. And after that, you only _started_ getting suspicious?" Casey asked.

"Is he always this much of a dick?" Bryce asked, turning to Sarah.

Sarah shrugged. "More or less. But he's also not wrong."

"But wait," Sarah said. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together for her, and she didn't like the picture. "Jill drugged Bryce, her tracker still shows her in the apartment, which she obviously isn't. And Chuck's—"

She didn't finish her thought before she was sprinting out of the apartment. She thought she heard Casey and Bryce following her, but she wasn't sure. She didn't care. Chuck was in trouble. She knew it in her heart.

She made the 1.2 mile trek to the quad in what she was sure had to be record time. She saw lots of faces milling about, but one very important face was missing.

"Chuck!" she called out. "Chuck, where are you?"

Her heart pounded heavy in her chest as all the people around her started to take on one uniformly non-Chuck shape.

"Walker!"

"Not now!" she snapped. "Chuck!" she called again, panic and desperation clear in her voice.

Her head was spinning, and she could say—though she would never _actually_ say it to anyone—that she had never been more scared in her life than she was in that moment. Her mind and her heart were at war—her rational side already realizing he was gone, while her emotions wouldn't let her accept that.

"Walker!" Casey repeated.

She turned an icy glare on him, and saw just what she'd feared. Casey was holding Chuck's watch, and Chuck wasn't attached. He was gone. Not even Sarah's heart could deny that evidence.

* * *

_A/N: So that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it, and once again, happy birthday, Cat! You guys are awesome. Peace._


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